T(?cCy<^'^'"  tjorciewapd  V\/tje?U  k^^  fjaj^py  way 


Hational  Tube  tf oi'lc?  Company, 


BOSTON,  MASS.  -  -  McKEESPORT,  PENN. 

New  York,  104  John  St.        St.  Louis,  802  N.  2d  St. 
Chicago,  cor.  Clinton  and  Fulton  Sts. 


WROUGHT- IRON    PIPE, 

Lap-Welded,   for   Oil,   Water,   Steam,   and    Gas,   also   for 
Mines.     Coated  with  a  Preventive  of  Rust. 


BOILER-TUBES, 

For    Locomotive    and    Stationary   Boilers. 

INJECTORS  (Mack's  Patent), 

For  feeding  Boilers  with  Hot  Water. 

WATER-PIPE. 

We  make  a  Special  Light  Pipe,  weighing  less  than 
One-Quarter  (1-4)  the  Weight  of  Cast-Iron,  and  much 
Stronger.  Very  Desirable  for  Water-Works  in  Cities  or 
Towns. 


J.  C.  CONVERSE,  President,       WM.  S.  EATON,  Treasurer, 

McKEESPORT,  Penn.  BOSTON,  Mass. 


NATIONAL  TUBE  WORKS  CO. 


BOSTON,  MASS.    -    McKEESPORT,  PENN. 

New  York,  104  John  St.  St.  Louis,  802  N.  2d  St. 

Chicago,  cor.  Clinton  and  Fulton  Sts. 


TUBOS  DE  HIERRO  MALEABLE, 

Con   Remates  a   Martillo;    para  Aceite,  Agua,  Vapor,   y 

Gas;  tambien  para  Minas.    Con  una  Cota 

que   precave    del    Orin. 

Tubos  para  Pailas  de  Locomotoras 
y  Eslacionarias. 

SURTIDORES   6    INYECTORES. 

(Mack's  Patent.)     Patente   de    Mack. 
Para  Alimentar  las  Pailas  con  Agua  Caliente. 

TUBOS   DE  AGUA. 

Los  hacemos  especialmente  ligeros  que  pesan  una 
cuarta  parte  (1-4)  menos  que  de  hierro  colado,  siendo 
ademas  mucho  mas  fuertes.  Son  enteramente  adecua- 
dos  para  acueductos  en  las  ciudades  o  pueblos. 

Se  sollcita  Correspondencia. 


J.  C.  CONVERSE,  President,  WM.  S.  EATON,  Treasurer, 

McKEESPORT,  PENN.  BOSTON.  MASS. 


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MEXICAN  RESOURCES: 


IV   (SttiJre 


TO    AND    THROUGH     MEXICO. 


BY 


FREDERICK    A.    OBER 

AUTHOR   OF   "travels    IN    MEXICO,"    "  CAMPS   IN    THE   CARIBBEES,"   "YOUNG    FOLKS' 
HISTORY   OF   MEXICO,"    ETC. 


Intjex  of  CTontents. 


INDEX  OF  ADVERTISERS Page  36  of  Guide. 

INDEX  OF  MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  .  .  Page  36  of  Guide. 
CONTENTS  OF  RESOURCES   AND  GUIDE Page  37. 


BOSTON: 
ESTES     AND     LAURIAT. 

1884. 


Copyright  18S4, 
By  Frederick  A.  Ober. 


All  rights  reserved. 


F 


PREFATORY. 


The  material  herein  contained  was  originally  intended  to  be  appended  to 
the  author's  "  Travels  in  Mexico,"  as  it  in  a  measure  completes  and  rounds 
out  the  larger  volume ;  but  the  limitations  of  space  and  the  relentless  veto 
of  publishers  prevented.  There  is  no  repetition.  The  aim  of  the  work  is 
to  )resent  an  exact  statement  of  Mexico's  natural  resources,  drawn  from 
rci  able  statistical  works,  —  such  as  the  Estadistica  de  la  Repiiblica  Mexi- 
cat  a,  —  collated,  and  mainly  translated,  by  the  author.  The  facts  are  given 
witJiout  exaggeration,  at  the  same  time  without  depreciation ;  and  the  reader 
may  draw  his  own  deductions  as  to  Mexico's  future  from  this  accurate  pres- 
entation of  her  past. 

The  soil,  climate,  and  productions  are  shown,  of  every  section,  with  dis- 
tinctive features ;  the  great  coffee,  sugar,  and  cotton  districts,  with  a  full 
list  of  all  the  precious  dye  and  cabinet  woods,  delicious  fruits,  and  medicinal 
plant's,  which  make  tropical  Mexico  so  valuable  a  neighbor  to  the  United 
States. 

Under  "Mines  and  Mining"  are  given  the  locations  of  the  great  deposits 
of  precious  metals  ;  abstracts  from  the  mining  laws  of  Mexico,  for  the  guid- 
ance of  those  desiring  to  locate  mines;  and  full  information  on  the  exact 
localities  of  the  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  lead,  quicksilver,  and  coal  depos- 
its, a,nd  the  valuable  Mexican  minerals. 

An  extensive  Guide  is  added,  showing  every  point  of  importance  on  every 
railroa-^  running  into  and  through  Mexico,  with  time  and  distance  tables,  and 
a.  list  til  attractions  to  tourists.  There  being  no  longer  any  Great  West  to 
which  tf-ade  and  travel  may  flow,  it  is  believed  that  the  country  of  the  future 
lies  in  the  South,  — in  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America. 

This  book,  then,  is  offered  as  an  indication  of  what  may  be  found  there, 
and  as  a  guide  by  the  way. 

It  is  not  perfect;  it  is  not  exhaustive;  and  it  doubtless  contains  errors 
which  it  will  be  the  aim  of  the  author  to  correct  in  subsequent  editions. 

In  this  first  edition,  ten  thousand  copies  are  issued,  at  a  price  nearly  nomi- 
nal so  that  It  shall  have  an  immediate  and  wide  circulation. 

li  in 


TOURISTS  AND  TRAVELERS ! 


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J.  G.  BATTERSON,  President.  RODNEY  DENNIS,  Secretary. 

JOHN  E.  MORRIS,  Assistant  Secretary. 


MEXICAN   RESOURCES. 


AREA. 

The  territory  of  the  Mexican  Republic  extends  from  north  latitude  15°  to  32°; 
and  from  12°  18'  46"  of  east  longitude,  to  18°  6'  15"  of  west  longitude  of  the  meri- 
dian of  the  City  of  Mexico,  the  capital ;  this  being  in  west  longitude  from  Green- 
wich, 99°  s'  25."  The  territory  contiguous  on  the  north  belongs  to  the  United 
States,  and  that  on  the  south  to  Guatemala,  while  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  bathes  its 
eastern  shores,  and  the  Pacific  its  western,  giving  to  it  a  coast-line  of  nearly  6,000 
miles.  Within  the  above  limits  is  inclosed  a  superficial  area  of  1,958,912  square 
kilometres,  or  766,000  square  miles.  Its  greatest  length,  along  the  a.xis  of  the 
territory,  mainly  represented  by  the  gigantic  dorsal  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  is 
1,970  miles,  in  a  straight  line  from  the  northwestern  extremity  of  Lower  California 
to  the  southern  border  of  Chiapas.  Its  maximum  breadth,  from  east  to  west,  on 
the  line  of  north  latitude  26°,  is  about  750  miles,  and  its  minimum,  at  the  Isthmus 
of  Tehuantepec,  140  miles.  .  _ 

BOUNDARIES. 

In  ancient  times  New  Spain  included  the  territory  lying  between  north  latitude 
15°  and  42°.  By  the  treaty  between  Spain  and  the  United  States  fTcb.  22,  1819), 
the  boundary  was  defined  as  commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sabine  River  of 
Texas.  By  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  (Feb.  2,  1848),  the  Rio  Grande,  or  Rio  Bravo 
del  Norte,  forms  the  division  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States,  starting  at  a 
point  three  leagues  from  its  mouth.  By  the  "  Gadsden  Purchase  "  Convention, 
1S53,  the  United  States  received  a  further  addition  of  Mexican  territory,  amounting 
to  45,535  square  miles.  The  dividing  line  between  the  two  republics  now  follows 
the  course  of  the  Rio  Grande,  north,  to  north  latitude  31°  47',  thence  100  miles 
westward  on  the  same  parallel,  whence  it  runs  south  to  parallel  31°  11',  follows  this 
line  to  meridian  111°  from  Greenwich,  thence  northwest  to  the  Rio  Colorado,  and 
up  that  river  to  the  boundary  between  Upper  and  Lower  California,  which  is  fol- 
lowed to  a  point  south  of  San  Diego,  on  the  Pacific.  Prior  to  the  treaty  of  1848, 
it  was  estimated  that  the  area  of  Mexico  was  over  1,650,000  square  miles;  but,  by 
comparison,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  United  States  gained  over  half  this  territory, 
by  an  excess  of  100,000  square  miles. 

I 


MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


CONFIGURATION    OF  THE    COAST. 

Although  the  plains  of  the  coast-region  are  low,  the  greatest  portion  of  Mexico 
lies  high  above  the  sea.  Of  its  6,000  miles  of  coast-line,  about  1,600  pertain  to 
the  Atlantic  or  Gulf  of  Mexico;  and  4,200  to  the  Pacific  and  Gulf  of  California. 
Very  few  bays  indent  the  coast.  These  are,  Ascension,  Espiritu  Santo,  and  Chet- 
mul  on  the  Yucutan  Peninsula;  Manzanillo,  on  the  Pacific;  and  Magdalena  and 
others  in  Lower  California.  But  the  east  coast  is  broken  by  extensive  lagoons,  like 
that  of  Terminos,  and  the  great  Gulf  of  California  separates  the  peninsula  of  that 
name  from  the  main  portion  of  Mexico.  Of  secure  harbors,  there  are  none  on  the 
east  coast,  and  but  very  few  on  the  west,  —  Acapulco,  San  Bias  and  Guaymas,  being 
the  only  inlets  with  deep  water  and  protecting  shores.  The  ports  of  Mexico,  open 
to  foreign  commerce,  are :  on  the  Pacific,  Acapulco,  Guaymas,  La  Paz  (Lower 
California),  Mazatlan,  Manzanillo,  Puerto  Angel,  Salina  Cruz,  San  Bias,  Soconusco 
and  Tonala.  Open  to  coastwise  trade,  only :  Altata,  Bacorchuis,  Cabo  de  San 
Lucas,  Mulege,  Navachiste,  Navidad,  Puerto  Escondido,  Tecoanapa,  Topolovampo, 
Valle  de  Banderas,  Yavaros  and  Zihuatanejo.  On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  open  to 
foreign  commerce,  are  :  Anton  Lizardo,  Campeche,  Carmen,  Goatzacoalcos,  Frontera, 
Progreso,  Tampico,  Tuxpan  and  Vera  Cruz.  To  the  coasting-trade :  Alvarado, 
Dos  Bocas,  Nautla,  Soto  la  Marina,  Santecomapan  and  Tecolutla. 

The  only  peninsulas  are  Lower  California  and  Yucatan ;  which  latter  belongs  to 
Mexico  politically,  but  physically  is  widely  separate  from  it.  Several  islands, 
though  of  little  importance,  lie  off  its  coasts. 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  PLATEAUX, 

Generally  speaking,  the  main  body  of  the  Mexican  territory  is  a  vast  table-land, 
a  distinct  geographical  region,  traversed  by  mountain-chains  of  great  length,  and 
rising  to  extraordinary  heights.  Leaving  out  Yucatan  and  contiguous  country,  we 
may  describe  Mexico  as  consisting  of  a  series  of  plateaux,  lying  mainly  above  a 
height  of  6,000  feet ;  extending  from  the  confines  of  Guatemala,  to  the  northern 
limit  of  its  boundary-line  ;  falling  abruptly  towards  the  coast  on  either  hand,  and 
descending  gradually  to  the  plains  of  Texas  and  Arizona  in  the  north. 

In  the  south,  we  have  the  Valley  of  CXixaca,  4,500  feet ;  next  of  Pueblo,  about 
7,000  feet;  of  Anahuac,  7,500  feet;  and,  going  north,  along  the  axis  of  this  table- 
land, find  Durango  at  an  altitude  of  6,600  feet;  Chihuahua,  4,600  feet;  El  Paso, 
3,800  feet,  while  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  again  lies  at  7,000  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  extent  of  the  plateaux  is  about  1,500  miles  in  length,  by  500  miles  in  breadth. 
Of  the  vast  mountain  system,  forming  the  escarpment  to  this  elevated  region,  the 
Sierra  Madre,  of  the  Pacific  coast,  the  great  "  Mother  Range,"  is  the  longest  con- 
tinuous chain,  extending  from  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  to  Arizona.  The 
eastern  Cordillera,  or  chain,  runs  more  directly  northward,  from  its  initial  point, 
and  at  a  lesser  mean  elevation,  of,  perhaps,  6,000  feet ;  while  the  western  carries  an 
altitude  of  nearly  10,000  feet. 

Traversing  this  longitudinal  system  from  east  to  west,  are  several  cross-ridges, 
due  to  igneous  action,  and  containing  some  of  the  highest  volcanoes  in  North 
America.  Of  the  numerous  mountains  that  rise  conspicuously  above  the  plateaux, 
there  are  twenty  above  4,000  feet  in  height,  and  nine  that  surpass  even  10.000  feet. 


MOUNTAINS,    RIVERS,    LAKES.  3 

These  are,  as  given  by  the  Mexican  geographer,  Cubas  :  Popocatapetl,  5,400  metres; 
Orizaba,  5,295;  Iztaccihuatl,  4,775;  Nevada  de  Toluca,  4,440;  Cofre  de  Perote, 
4,089;  Zempoaltepetl,  3,668;  Ajusco,  3,575;  Volcan  de  Colima,  3,396,  and  Quinceo, 
3,324  metres.  "  The  most  interesting  feature  of  the  distribution  of  volcanoes,"  says 
a  learned  writer,  "  is  that  nearly  all  are  situated  along  the  mountain-chains  and  rows 
of  islands  which  border  the  shores  of  the  continent,  while  the  interior  of  these  great 
land  masses  is  nearly  free  from  them."  This  seems  to  be  exceptional  in  Mexico, 
as  the  highest  and  most  noted  volcanoes,  as  Popocatapetl,  Nevada  de  Toluca, 
Cofre  de  Perote  and  Jorullo,  are  in  the  centre  of  the  table-land,  and  traverse  the 
country  in  a  line  from  west  to  east.  All  the  Mexican  volcanoes  are  either  extinct  or 
quiescent;  none  have  been  in  eruption  in  the  present  century,  though  smoke  has 
been  seen  issuing  from  the  crater  of  Popocatapetl. 

The  Mexican  river  system,  owing  to  the  rugged  configuration  of  the  surface,  is 
neither  varied  nor  extensive.  Most  of  the  rivers  are  short,  and  little  more  than 
impetuous  torrents  or  sluggish  bayous,  without  navigable  depth  of  water.  The 
steep  mountain-slopes  are  quickly  drained,  and  the  great  plateaux  rapidly  absorb 
the  waters  that  fall  into  them,  owing  to  their  aridity.  The  surface  of  the  table-land 
is  cut  up  into  innumerable  barrancas  and  ravines,  some  of  profound  depth,  caused 
by  the  plunging  torrents,  speeding  on  their  way  to  the  sea.  Since  the  comprehen- 
sive railway  system  of  Mexico  has  been  projected,  the  canalization  of  Mexico  will 
not  be  needed,  nor  will  the  almost  total  lack  of  navigable  waters  be  sorely  felt. 
Even  the  longest  streams  (such  as  the  Rio  Grande,  which  forms  the  boundary  line 
between  Mexico  and  Texas,  and  is  about  1,500  miles  in  length),  are  navigable  for 
but  a  short  distance.  There  are  some  twenty  rivers  above  one  hundred  miles  long, 
the  principal  of  which  are :  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Santiago,  500  miles ;  the  Balsas,  400 ; 
Yaquis,  375;  Grijalva,  or  Tabasco,  330;  Usumacinta,  320;  Conchos,  300;  Mezqintal, 
310;  Panuco,  275;  Altar,  260;  Nazas,  260;  Sinaloa,  250;  Fucrte,  240;  Mayo,  200; 
Ures,  200;  Alvarado,  150;  Culiacan,  150;  and  Goatzcoalcos,  140  miles. 

The  number  of  lakes  in  Mexico  is  very  small,  and  may  be  counted  upon  one's 
fingers.  Leaving  out  the  lagunas,  which  are  merely  bodies  of  salt  water  separated 
from  the  Gulf  by  sand-banks  and  shoals,  we  find  not  more  than  ten  inland  lakes. 
These  are,  the  five  lakes  and  ponds  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico:  Tezcoco,  Chalco, 
Xochimilco,  Xaltocan,  and  Zumpanzo ;  Chapala,  the  largest  in  Mexico,  having  an 
estimated  area  of  1,300  square  miles,  situated  in  Jalisco;  two  or  three  small  bodies 
m  the  laguna  country,  in  Chihuahua  and  southwest  Coahuila.  The  lacustrine 
basins,  though  of  sufficient  area,  are  so  arid  and  so  exposed  to  the  influences  of  a 
hot  climate,  at  a  great  altitude,  that  evaporation  is  rapid,  and  causes  the  total  disap- 
pearance of  many  streams  and  even^kes. 

CLIMATE    AND    SEASONS. 

So  intimately  connected  are  climate  and  vegetation,  that  to  indicate  the  variations 
of  the  one  is  to  suggest  a  corresponding  change  in  the  flora  of  the  country. 

Were  Mexico  nearly  level  from  gulf  to  ocean,  it  would  have  mainly  a  tropical 
climate,  as  it  lies  to  a  great  extent  south  of  the  northern  tropic;  but,  owing  to  physi- 
cal causes,  a  large  area  of  its  territory  enjoys  the  climate  of  the  temperate  zone. 
Rising  by  successive  stages  to  a  height  of  nearly  18,000  feet,  the  temperature,  of 
course,  undergoes  a  diminution  corresponding  with  the  elevation  above  the  sea. 


4  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Thus  the  coast,  for  quite  its  entire  length,  is  hot,  and  much  of  it  extremely  un- 
healthy. The  low-lying  region  appertaining  to  it  is  well  designated  the  tierra  cali- 
ente,  or  "  hot  country,"  in  which  the  humid  atmosphere  perpetually  nourishes  a 
vegetation  peculiarly  tropical.  The  mean  annual  temperature  of  this  climatic  zone 
ranges  from  75°  to  82°  (Fahr.),  the  extremes  being  from  about  55°  to  105°.  Its 
influence  is  felt  to  an  approximate  altitude  of  about  3,000  feet  above  the  sea.  It 
may  be  safely  visited,  as  a  rule,  between  the  months  of  December  and  April,  when 
the  heated  coast  is  subject  to  violent  gales  called  northers  —  los  nortes,  which  cool 
the  air,  and  dissipate  the  germs  of  disease.  At  an  altitude  above  sea-level  of  about 
3,000  feet,  we  enter  the  tierra  templada,  the  "  temperate  country,"  where  the  average 
mean  annual  temperature  is  about  70°,  and  the  extremes  50°  to  86°.  Extremes  in 
temperature  are  almost  unknown  in  this  zone,  a  delightful  coolness  prevailing  in  the 
shade,  while  the  vegetable  forms,  though  not  entirely  characteristic,  blending  as 
they  do  those  of  both  the  lower  and  upper  regions,  are  of  most  astonishing  variety. 

The  prevailing  climate  of  the  tierra  templada  is  warm  and  moist,  the  precipitation 
from  the  clouds  from  the  Gulf  (on  the  eastern  coast)  being  great,  and  the  rainfall 
greater  than  either  in  the  higher,  or  the  lower  zone.  The  classification  is  an  arbi- 
trary one,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  just  at  what  elevation  each  zone  overlaps  and 
merges  into  the  other ;  but  it  may  be  roughly  stated  that  the  tierra  caliente  extends 
upward  from  the  coast  to  a  vertical  height  of  3,000  feet,  the  templada  from  3,000  to 
7,000  or  8,000,  —  the  verge  of  the  table-land,  —  while  above  that  altitude  is  the 
tierra  fria,  or  "cold  region,"  with  a  vegetation  varying  from  the  corn  and  barley, 
and  maguey  of  the  lower  levels  to  the  cryptogamia  of  the  mountain-tops.  The 
mean  annual  temperature  of  the  tierra  fria,  which  includes  the  greater  portion  of 
the  vast  plateau,  is  about  60°,  the  extremes  reaching  from  75°  to  the  freezing-point. 
Travel  on  the  table-land  may  be  equally  agreeable,  summer  or  winter,  excepting 
that  it  is  liable  to  frequent  detentions  during  the  rainy  season. 

The  Mexicans  divide  the  year  into  two  periods  :  el  estio,  or  the  dry  season,  and  la 
estacio7t  de  las  aguas,  or  the  rainy  season.  The  latter  comprises  the  months  of  June, 
July,  August,  and  September,  while  the  dry  season  extends  over  the  greater  portion 
of  the  rest  of  the  year.  "The  curving  shores  of  Mexico  along  the  Gulf  and  interior 
highlands  gather  and  hem  in  an  immense  body  of  vapor,  which  is  carried  on  by  the 
trade-winds,  and  condensed  against  the  cold  and  lofty  inland  mountain-peaks  which 
rise  above  the  limit  of  perpetual  congelation.  This  occurs  during  the  dry  season, 
whilst  the  sun  is  at  the  south!  But  when  its  power  increases,  as  it  advances  north- 
ward, and  until  it  has  long  turned  back  again  on  its  southern  course,  these  vapors  are 
dissolved  by  the  hot  intertropical  air,  and  descend  almost  daily  in  fertilizing  showers." 

Electric  storms  and  water-spouts  rarely  occur,  except  in  certain  well-determined 
localities,  as  at  various  points  on  the  coast.  Earthquakes  are  infrequent,  and  sel- 
dom destructive,  being  rather  temblores,  or  tremblings,  than  terremotos,  or  shakings. 

The  duration  of  the  day,  in  winter,  including  morning  and  evening  twilight,  is 
12  hours  35'  to  13  hours  40';  in  spring,  14  hours  36'  to  15  hours  38';  in  summer, 
15  hours  54'  to  16  hours  44';  and  in  autumn,  13  hours  52'  to  14  hours  46'. 

ZONES    OF    VEGETATION. 

Although  the  indigenous  plants  of  Mexico  are  by  no  means  few  in  number,  it  now 
possesses,  undoubtedly,  through  its  Old  World  acquisitions,  the  richest  economic 


CLIMATE  AND    VEGETATION.  5 

flora  of  any  country  on  the  globe.  This  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  goodly  portion 
of  Mexico  lies  within  the  tropics,  and  at  the  same  time  attains  to  a  great  elevation 
above  the  sea ;  in  other  words,  altitztde  confers  upon  this  elevated  region  beneath 
the  northern  tropic  all  the  variety  of  climate  that  one  would  meet  with  in  journey- 
ing from  the  equator  to  the  pole.  The  vegetable  world,  says  the  German  writer 
Sartorius,  is  of  course  always  determined  by  the  nature  of  the  soil;  on  a  calcareous 
soil  we  find  a  different  description  of  plants  to  those  which  are  met  with  in  trachyte 
or  porphyry  ;  for  instance,  in  lime  we  have  chiefly  fan  palms  and  malvacese  :  but  the 
conditions  which  the  elevation  above  the  sea  produce,  the  isothe7-vial  line,  would 
everywhere  call  forth  analogous  appearances. 

The  Old  World  has  sent  here  its  apples,  pears,  cherries,  peaches,  oranges,  figs, 
grapes,  and  pomegranates;  by  their  side  flourish  the  East  Indian  mangoes,  papaws, 
the  American  ananas  (6  species),  mammees,  aguacates,  spondias,  the  fruit  of  the 
passion-flower,  excellent  cactus  fruits,  gourds  of  all  kinds,  and  many  others. 

"An  Indian  village  of  the  temperate  zone,  where  coast  and  hill  country  meet  and 
blend,  presents  a  truly  delightful  picture,  surrounded  by  heavily-laden  orange-trees 
and  banana-stalks,  by  fruits  of  every  imaginable  hue,  and  by  the  blossoming  shrubs 
which  invariably  follow  the  steps  of  man." 

In  the  lower,  or  coast,  regions,  as  high  as  1,500  feet,  we  have  coconuts,  cacao, 
vanilla,  cotton,  cloves,  nutmegs,  peppers,  and  the  other  spices  of  commerce,  besides 
all  the  fruits  of  the  tropical  countries  of  the  East  and  West.  Up  to  4,000  feet  grow 
sugar  and  coffee,  indigo,  rice,  tea,  banana,  and  tobacco,  besides  the  productive  edible 
roots :  manioc,  yam,  arum,  arrow-root,  sweet  potato,  curcuma  and  ginger,  and  all  the 
fruits  of  America,  Central  Asia,  and  Barbary.  From  this  point  upwards  begiris  the 
cultivation  of  the  cerealia  of  the  Old  World,  such  as  barley  and  wheat,  of  the  ole- 
aginous plants  (olive,  poppy,  rape,  and  linseed)  of  pulse  and  kitchen  vegetables,  of 
grapes  for  wine,  and  every  kind  of  European  fruit.  The  mulberry  tree  finds  its  cli- 
mate at  the  height  of  from  3,000  to  6,000  feet  above  the  sea. 

From  the  following  partial  catalogue  of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  cultivated  in 
Mexico,  one  may  be  led  to  believe  in  its  agricultural  possibilities.  It  was  Humboldt 
who  estimated  the  value  of  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  Mexican  mines  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  century,  vast  as  it  was,  as  less  by  almost  a  fourth  than  that  of  the  ter- 
ritorial produce.  Mexico,  as  its  national  statistician  very  truly  remarks,  has  the 
markets  of  all  the  world  constantly  open  for  the  excess  of  her  agricultural  produc- 
tions, for,  such  is  the  varied  nature  of  her  soil  and  climate,  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
plant  that  grows,  or  a  fruit  that  ripens,  or  a  grain  that  matures  its  seed,  that  may  not 
find  a  congenial  home  within  her  limits.  Plants  of  the  different  zones,  from  frigid 
to  torrid,  are  all  found  in  the  ascent  from  coast  to  table-land,  and  indicate  to  a  nicety 
the  different  degrees  of  altitude  and  temperature. 

Not  only  can  she  export  many  of  the  cereals,  but  she  has  almost  a  monopoly  of 
several  peculiar  products  of  the  tropics,  and,  owing  to  the  combined  advantages  of 
topography  and  climate,  can  supply  foreign  markets  with  immense  quantities  of  such 
valuable  articles  as  coffee,  cacao,  henequen,  tobacco,  vanilla,  and  precious  woods. 

MEXICO'S    ECONOMIC    FLORA 

Under  this  distinctive  title,  while  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  compile  an 
exhaustive  botanical  catalogue,  —  which  would  be  quite  unnecessary,  even  if  prac- 


6  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

ticable, — the  author  here  presents  statistics  valuable  to  those  interested  in  the 
industrial  possibilities  of  Mexico.  This  information  has  been  obtained  almost 
entirely  from  Mexican  sources,  and,  though  perhaps  incomplete,  is  at  least  an 
approach  to  that  accuracy  so  desirable  in  a  statement  of  Mexico's  material  re- 
sources, and  valuable  as  an  offset  to  the  misrepresentations  of  misinformed  or 
prejudiced  writers. 

Many  of  the  names  in  the  following  list,  being  native  to  the  countrv,  generally 
Aztec,  are  not  found  in  any  Spanish  dictionary  ;  but  all  the  most  important  woods, 
fruits,  etc.,  are  given,  with  not  only  the  indigenous  appellations,  but  their  English 
equivalents.  The  flora  of  Mexico  is  rich  and  varied,  embracing,  says  its  statisti- 
cian, over  ten  thousand  species,  known  and  analyzed.  Her  woods  are  valuable, 
a  great  number  of  her  native  plants  have  medicinal  qualities,  and  her  flowers  are 
beautiful  and  of  exquisite  fragrance. 

These  lists  comprise  mainly  those  Mexican  plants  valuable  for  their  properties, 
and  those  interesting  from  flowering  at  a  great  altitude,  and  typical  of  the  table- 
lands ;  a  strictly  scientific  classification  has  not  been  adopted,  as  this  would  have  been 
impracticable. 

TIMBER   AND   CONSTRUCTION   WOODS. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Ahuehuete. 

Cypress. 

Majahua. 

(Bark  is  used  for  cord- 

Aile. 

age). 

Alamo. 

Poplar  (3  species). 

Mangle. 

Mangrove. 

Acana. 

A  hard,  reddish  wood. 

Mango. 

Mango. 

Amate. 

Nogal. 

Walnut  (2  species). 

Capire. 

Black  and  yellow. 

Olmo. 

Elm. 

Capulin. 

Tree  with   fruit   resem- 

Ocuna. 

bling  cherry. 

Palo  Dulce,  de  Maria, 

Licorice,     violet,     mul- 

Capulincillo. 

Do.            do. 

morado  mora,  bravo, 

berry-,   redwood,    iron- 

Cedro. 

Cedar  (3  species). 

Colorado  y  de  hierro. 

wood,  etc. 

Cipres. 

Cypress. 

Pareta. 

Ceiba  6  pochote. 

Silk  cotton. 

Pino. 

White,  resinous,  and  red 

Castano. 

Chestnut. 

pine. 

Cante. 

Pinavete. 

Ciruelo. 

Plum. 

Peru. 

Encino. 

Oak  (white,  black,  and 

Quiebra  hacha. 

Break-axe. 

yellow). 

Roble  (bianco  y  encino. 

Oak     (white    and    ever- 

Fresno. 

Ash. 

green). 

Fresnillo. 

Little  Ash. 

Sabino. 

Sabin. 

Frijolillo. 

Sauz,  verde,   bianco,  y 

Willow     (green,    white. 

Guachipilino. 

mexicano. 

Mexican). 

Guamuchil. 

Suchil. 

Guasima. 

Sabicii. 

Garrapata. 

Tick-tree. 

Tamarindo. 

Tamarind. 

Garrapatilla. 

Little  tick-tree. 

Taray. 

Tamarisk. 

Haya. 

Beech. 

Tampinceran. 

Huitzache. 

Tepehuaje. 

Hobo. 

Tlaliscuahuitl. 

Hasta. 

Tepozan. 

Jahua. 

Tecomale. 

Gourd-tree. 

Mamey. 

Mammee-tree. 

1  Zaya. 

Madrono. 

Strawberrj'-tree. 

Zopilote. 

THE    TROPICAL   FORESTS.  7 

We  find  in  profusion,  in  the  tropical  forosts  of  southern  Mexico,  those  valuable 
woods  which  are  only  seen  beneath  the  almost  vertical  sun  of  the  Tropics.  It  will 
be  seen  that  Mexico  has  not  less  than  twenty  varieties  of  wood,  useful  in  the  joiner- 
work,  and  for  interior  furnishing,  while  about  sixty  are  enumerated  as  in  use  for 
timber.  In  effect,  Mexico  has  all  the  useful  timber-trees  of  the  North,  with  all 
the  added  precious  woods  of  the  South.  Among  woods  noted  for  their  fineness  of 
grain,  and  susceptibility  to  polish,  may  be  mentioned:  ebony,  lignum-vitas,  ma- 
hogany, manchinille,  rosewood,  sapota  and  violet-wood.  Among  trees  famous  for 
their  size,  and  the  durability  of  their  wood,  are  the  cedars,  cypresses,  ceibas, 
or  silk-cottons,  chestnuts,  oaks,  pines,  tamarinds,  tamarisks,  etc.,  etc.,  —  a  long  list 

CABINET   AND    DYE   WOODS. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Avellano. 

Hazel. 

Primavera. 

Primrose. 

Almendro. 

Almond. 

Zapote  bianco. 

Sapota  (white). 

Balsamo. 

Balsam. 

Zapote  prieto. 

Sapota  (blackish). 

Boa. 

1  Anil. 

Indigo. 

Caoba. 

Mahogany. 

1  Agrita. 

Caobilla. 

Little  Mahogany 

1  Achiote. 

Amatto. 

Ebano. 

Ebony. 

i  Brasil. 

Brazil-wood. 

Granadillo. 

Passion  flower. 

1  Campeche. 

Logivood. 

Guachichil. 

(A  hard  wood.) 

1  Cascalote 

Guamuchil. 

!  Ebano  verde. 

Green  ebony. 

Ilamo. 

1  Huitz.ache  (fruit). 

Linaloe. 

Aloes-tree. 

i  Lentisco 

^L-lstic. 

Laurel. 

Laurel. 

j  Mangle 

^L^ngrove. 

Lloron  (Sauce) . 

Weeping  willow. 

Palo  amarillo. 

Fustic 

Manzanilla. 

Manchinille. 

Palo  mulato. 

Tawney  wood. 

Ojo  de  Pajaro. 

Bird's-eye. 

Timbra. 

Mountain  hyssop. 

Palo  morado. 

Violet  wood. 

Azatran. 

SafTron. 

Palo  de  rosa. 

Rosewood. 

Orchilla. 

Archil. 

Palo  santo. 

Lignum  vitae. 

Rubia  {raiz  de  tinta). 

Madder. 

GUM,    RESIN,    AND    OIL-YIELDING    PLANTS. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Almacigo. 

Mastic. 

Alegria 

Oily  grain. 

Drago. 

Dragon-tree. 

Almendro  (fruit). 

Almond. 

Mezquite. 

(Its    gum    is   equal    to 

Cacahuate. 

Pea-nut. 

gum-arabic.) 

Chia. 

Lime-leaved  sage. 

Hule. 

C.-ioutchouc. 

Coacoyutl  (fruit). 

Ambar  amarillo. 

Amber  (yellow). 

Coco  (fruit). 

Coco  palm. 

Copal. 

Copal. 

Nogal  (fruit). 

Walnut. 

Copalchi. 

Liquid  amber. 

Nuez  moscada. 

Nutmeg. 

Pino  de  trementina. 

Turpentine-tree. 

Olivo  (fruit). 

Olive. 

Abeto. 

Silver-tree. 

Linaza. 

Linseed. 

Acebuche. 

Wild  olive. 

Nabo. 

Rape. 

Ajonjoli. 

Beneseed. 

MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


CEREALS,   ALIMENTAL   PLANTS,   ETC. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Apio. 

Celery. 

Chile. 

Red  pepper(many  kinds). 

Alcancil  or  Alcachofa. 

Artichoke. 

Escarola  (lechuga china). 

Endive. 

Acedera. 

Sorrel. 

Esparrago. 

Asparagus. 

Aceituna. 

Olives. 

Espinaca. 

Spinage. 

Acelga. 

Beet. 

Frijole. 

Beans;  French  beans. 

Alcaparra. 

Caper. 

Garbanzo. 

Chick  pea. 

Ajo. 

Garlic. 

Haba. 

Garden  beans. 

Alverjon. 

Vetch. 

Hejotes. 

String  beans. 

Arroz. 

Rice. 

Lechuga. 

Lettuce. 

Brocoli. 

Broccoli. 

Lenteja. 

Lentil. 

Berengena. 

Egg-plant. 

Maguey. 

American  agave. 

Brichuela. 

Maiz. 

Corn  (every  variety) . 

Cacao. 

Cocoa. 

Nabo. 

Rape. 

Cafe. 

Coffee. 

Name. 

Comino. 

Cumin  Seed. 

Papa. 

Potato. 

Col  6  repollo. 

Cabbage. 

Pepino. 

Cucumber. 

Coliflor. 

Cauliflower. 

Puerro. 

Leek. 

Calabazas. 

Pumpkins,  gourds,  etc. 

Perejll. 

Parsley. 

Cana  de  azucar. 

Sugar-cane. 

Pimienta. 

Pepper. 

Cardo. 

Garden  artichoke. 

Rabano. 

Radish. 

Camote. 

Sweet  potato. 

Trigo. 

Wheat. 

Cebada. 

Barley. 

Verdolaga 

Purslain. 

CeboUa. 

Onion. 

Yuca  6  guacamote. 

Yucca. 

Chayote. 

Zanahoria. 

Carrot. 

TEXTILES. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Algodon. 
Canamo. 
Henequen. 
Ixtle. 

Cotton. 
Hemp. 
Sisal  hemp. 
Aloe  fibre. 

Lino. 

Rami^  —  Ramee. 

Seda  vegetal 

Flax. 

China  grass. 
Vegetable  silk. 

It  will  only  be  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  following  list,  to  have  it  made 
evident  that  there  is  hardly  a  fruit  in  the  known  world  that  has  not  found,  or  cannot 
find,  a  congenial  home  in  Mexico. 

The  most  valuable,  and  those  least  known  to  dwellers  in  the  north,  will  be  found 
described  after  their  respective  appellations.  To  mention  all  would  be  to  enumerate 
nearly  every  variety  cultivated  in  both  habitable  zones,  and  far  exceed  the  limits  of 
this  work,  or,  indeed,  of  any  book  not  specially  devoted  to  horticulture. 

While  every  fruit  can  be  grown  in  Mexico,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  those 
indigenous  to  other  countries  do  not  here  j^reserve  their  original  fine  flavor,  the 
peaches,  pears,  etc.,  being  hard,  coarse,  and,  in  a  measure,  flavorless. 


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FRUITS   OF  FOREST  AND    GARDEN. 


THE   FRUITS   OF    MEXICO. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Ahuacate. 

A    delicious    American 

Madrono. 

Strawberry-tree. 

fruit. 

Melon  comun. 

Melon. 

Albdrchigo. 

Peach. 

Melon  de  agua. 

Water-melon. 

Albericoque. 

Apricot. 

Melon  de  olor. 

Musk-melon. 

Anona. 

Custard  apple. 

Melon  zapote. 

Sapote-melon. 

Arrayan. 

Myrtle. 

Mamey. 

Mammee. 

Breva. 

Variety  of  fig. 

Nanche. 

Caimito  bianco. 

Naranja  de  China. 

Orange  (China). 

Caimito  morado. 

Naranja  agria. 

Orange  (sour). 

Capulin,  bianco  y  negro. 

American  cherry. 

Nuez  de  Castllla. 

Spanish  walnut. 

Cereza. 

Cherry. 

Nispero. 

Medlar-tree. 

Coco. 

Coco-nut. 

Prisco. 

A  kind  of  peach. 

Castana. 

Chestnut. 

Pina. 

Pine-nut. 

Cidra. 

Citron. 

Poma  rosa. 

Rose-apple. 

Ciruela. 

Plums  (all  varieties). 

Peras  (de  nueve  clases). 

Pears  (nine  varieties). 

Cuaginicuil. 

Pinguica. 

Oil-nut. 

Chabacano. 

A  kind  of  apricot. 

Papaya. 

Papaw. 

Chirimoya. 

Pitahaya. 

Giant  cactus. 

Chicozapote. 

Pachona. 

Damasco. 

Damson. 

Platano  grande. 

Plantain  tree. 

Durazno. 

Peach. 

Platano  guineo. 

Plantain  (Guinea). 

Datil. 

Date. 

Platano  manilo. 

Plantain  (Manilla). 

Fresa. 

Strawberry. 

Platano  manzano. 

Plantain  (Apple). 

Grosella. 

Currant. 

Sandia. 

A  Water-melon. 

Garambullo. 

Tejocote. 

Guanavana. 

Tuna  blanca. 

Tuna    (White),    Indian 

Granada  China. 

Pomegranate. 

fig,  or  prickly-pear. 

Guinda. 

A  cherry. 

Tuna  amarilla. 

Tuna  (yellow). 

Guayaba. 

Guava. 

Tuna  encarnada. 

Tuna  (pink). 

Higo. 

Indian  fig. 

Tuna  cardona. 

Cochineal  cactus. 

Hilama. 

A  chirimoya. 

Uva. 

Grape  (all  varieties). 

Hicaco. 

Uva  blanca. 

Grape  (white). 

Jicama. 

Farinaceous  root. 

Uva  moscatel. 

Grape  (fox). 

Lima. 

Lime. 

Uva  negra. 

Grape  (black). 

Limon  agrio. 

Lemon  (sour). 

Uva  silvestre. 

Grape  (wild). 

Limon  dulce. 

Lemon  (sweet). 

Zarzamora. 

Blackberry. 

Limoncillo. 

Little  lemon. 

Zapote  bianco. 

Sapota  (white). 

Mango. 

Mango. 

Zapote  negro. 

Sapota  (black). 

Manzanas. 

Apples  (seven  varieties) . 

Zapote  amarillo. 

Sapota  (yellow). 

Membrillo. 

Quince. 

Zapotillo. 

Little  sapota. 

Mora. 

Mulberry. 

10 


MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


MEDICINAL   PLANTS. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Adormidera. 

Poppy. 

Marihuana. 

Aiiacahulte. 

Manzanilla. 

Chamomile. 

Amapola. 

Poppy. 

Mejorana. 

Sweet  marjoram. 

Ajenjo. 

Wormwood. 

Mostaza. 

Mustard. 

Apio. 

Celery. 

Morera. 

Mulberry. 

Anemesa. 

Mug-wort. 

Mara  villa. 

Heliotrope. 

Albahaca. 

Sweet  basil. 

Mezquite. 

Alhucema. 

Lavender. 

Mixtamazuchil. 

Altea. 

Marshmallow. 

Neldo. 

Achicoria. 

Orozuz. 

Licorice. 

Alfilerillo. 

Ojo  de  perico. 

Parrot's  eye. 

Arrayan. 

Myrtle. 

Palo  mulato  del  salvaje. 

Anis. 

Anise. 

Pol  So. 

Pennyroyal. 

Azafran  del  pais. 

Saffron  (native). 

Perejil. 

Parsley. 

Ajenjabe. 

Wild  mustard. 

Peonia. 

Peony. 

Betonica. 

Betony. 

Pimienta. 

Pepper. 

Borraja. 

Borage. 

Papaloquelite. 

Beleno. 

Henbane. 

Pata  de  Leon. 

Lion's  foot. 

Berro. 

Water-cress. 

Pastora. 

Culantrillo. 

Maiden's  hair. 

Paretaria. 

Canchalahua. 

Pipitzahua. 

Cicuta. 

Hemlock. 

Ruda. 

Rue. 

Centaura. 

Centaury. 

Rosa  de  Pascua, 

Easter-rose. 

Capitaneja. 

Rosa  laurel. 

Cohombro. 

Snake  cucumber. 

Quina, 

Cinchona. 

Calahuala. 

Calaguala. 

Romero. 

Rosemary, 

Canafistula. 

Cassia  fistula. 

Sasafras. 

Sassafras. 

Canuela. 

Fescue  grass. 

Siempreviva. 

House-leek     (red 

and 

Cuchalate. 

yellow). 

Calabaza  chicayota. 

Calabash. 

Sabina. 

Savin. 

Contrayerba. 

Salvia. 

Sage. 

Cardo  santo. 

Holy  thistle. 

Sauco  bianco. 

Elder. 

Cebadilla. 

Cevadilla. 

Sanguinana. 

Knot-grass. 

Dainiana. 

Tamarindo. 

Tamarind. 

Digital. 

Foxglove. 

Tianguispepetla. 

Escorzonera. 

Viper-root. 

Trompetilla. 

Espinosilla. 

Torongil, 

Balm. 

Fresno. 

Ash. 

Tornillo. 

Genciana. 

Gentian. 

Trebol. 

Trefoil. 

Gordolobo. 

Mullein. 

Tlacopatle. 

Guayacan. 

Lignum  vitae. 

Te  silvestre. 

Wild  tea. 

Hinojo. 

Fennel. 

Tilia. 

Lime-tree. 

Higuerilla. 

Castor-oil  plant. 

Tabaco. 

Tobacco. 

Incienso. 

Incense  (gum). 

Vainila. 

Vanilla. 

Ipecacuana. 

Ipecacuanha. 

Valeriana. 

Valerian. 

Jalapa. 

Jalap. 

Verbena. 

Vervain. 

Liipulo. 

Hops. 

Verdolaga. 

Purslane. 

Laurel. 

Laurel. 

Verba  buena. 

Mint. 

Linaza. 

Flaxseed. 

Verba  del  polio. 

Llmoncillo. 

Lime. 

Verba  del  zapo. 

Lengua  de  cierro. 

Hart's  tongue. 

Verba  de  la  golondrina. 

Manrubio. 

Voloxuchil. 

Mastuerzo. 

Cress. 

Zarzaparilla. 

Sarsaparilla. 

Malva. 

Mallow. 

Zumpanitl. 

NATIVE  AND    CULTIVATED   FLOWERS. 


II 


FLOWERS   AND   ORNAMENTAL   PLANTS. 

Following  is  a  partial  list  of   the  flowers,  mainly  European,  cultivated  in  the 
Mexican  gardens. 


Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Mexican  Name. 

English. 

Acacia  comun. 

Acacia. 

Dulcamara. 

Bittersweet. 

Acanto. 

Thistle. 

Encina  olorosa. 

Oily  evergreen  oak. 

Adelfa. 

Rose-bay. 

Espino  bianco. 

Whitethorn. 

Ajenjo. 

Wormwood. 

Espino  rosado. 

Buckthorn. 

AlelL 

Gilliflower. 

Floripundo. 

Magnolia. 

Ambrosia. 

Buckthorn. 

Geranio  olorosa. 

Cranesbill. 

Anana. 

Pmeapple. 

Helecho. 

Fern-filex. 

Alhucema. 

Lavender. 

Heliotropo. 

Heliotrope. 

Anemona. 

Anemones. 

Heptaica. 

Liverwort. 

Apio. 

Celery. 

Immortal. 

Inmortal. 

Argentina. 

Satin  cinquefoil. 

Jacinto. 

Hyacinth  (four  species). 

Artemisa. 

Artemisia, 

Lirio  bianco. 

Florentine  iris. 

Azahar  de  nararjo. 

Orange  flower. 

Lila  blanca. 

Lilac  (white). 

Azahar  de  limon. 

Lemon  flower. 

Madre-selva. 

Honeysuckle. 

Azahar  de  lima. 

Lime  flower. 

Margarita. 

Azahar  de  cidra. 

Citron  flower. 

Magnolia. 

Magnolia. 

Azahar  de  toronja. 

Shaddoc  flower. 

Mirto. 

Myrtle. 

Azahar  de  Chiriraoya 

Anona  flower. 

Narciso. 

Daflbdil. 

Balsamina. 

Balsam-apple. 

Nardo, 

Tuberose. 

Betonica. 

Betony. 

Peonia. 

Peony. 

Cacaloxochitl. 

Reseda. 

Centaura. 

Centaury. 

Rosas. 

Roses  (every  variety) . 

Calendula. 

Marigold. 

Sardonia. 

Crow-foot. 

Camelia. 

Camelia. 

Serpentaria. 

Snake-root. 

Campanula. 

Bell-flower. 

Tomillo. 

Thyme. 

Capuchina. 

Nasturtium. 

Toronjil. 

Balm. 

Clavel  rojo. 

Pink  (red). 

Trinitaria. 

Pansy. 

Clavel  bianco. 

Pink  (white). 

Tuberosa. 

Tuberose. 

Clavellina. 

Mignonette. 

Tulipan. 

Tulip 

Chicharo  or  Guisante 

Sweet-pea. 

Valeriana. 

Valerian. 

Dalias. 

Dahlias. 

Violetas. 

Violets  (all  species) . 

Among  them  any  flowers  which  embellish  the  meads  and  adorn  the  gardens  of 
Mexico,  says  the  old  historian  Clavigero,  there  are  some  worthy  to  be  mentioned, 
either  from  their  singular  beauty,  or  their  extraordinary  forms. 

The  Floripundo  merits  the  first  mention,  on  account  of  its  size,  a  beautiful  white 
and  odoriferous  flower,  more  than  eight  inches  in  length  and  four  in  diameter. 
The  yollocxockitl,  or  flower-of-the-heart,  is  so  fragrant  that  a  single  one  will  fill  a 
whole  house  with  its  perfume,  while  the  Coatzontecoxochitl,  or  viper's-head,  is  of 
incomparable  beauty,  and  highly  esteemed  by  the  Mexicans.  The  Oceloxochitl,  or 
tiger-flower,  is  so  called,  because  spotted  like  an  ocelot,  or  tiger;  the  Cacaloxochitl, 
or  raven-flower,  (the  frangipanni),  is  very  odorous,  and  is  made  by  the  Spaniards 
into  conserves ;  the  Chempoalxochitl,  is  the  Indian  carnation ;  the  Xiloxochitl,  a 
beautiful  red  flower,  and  the  Macphalxochitl,  or  flower-of-the-hand,  a  most  wonderful 


12  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

production  of  nature,  in  the  form  of  a  bird's  foot,  or  the  hand  of  an  ape.  Not  a 
flower  blossoms  in  Mexico  that  has  not  an  expressive  Aztec  name,  so  well  versed 
were  the  aborigines  of  that  country  in  the  lore  of  the  field  and  forest. 

"  Besides  these,  and  innumerable  other  flowers,"  adds  the  historian,  "  which  the 
ancient  Mexicans  delighted  to  cultivate,  the  land  has  been  enriched  with  all  those 
which  could  be  transported  from  Asia  and  Europe,  until  the  gardens  of  Mexico 
rival  those  of  the  Old  World." 

The  pastures  are  abundant  and  nutritious,  and  in  several  states,  as  in  Sonora, 
Tamaulipas  and  Lower  California,  are  fragrant  with  aromatic  herbs,  like  the  sweet 
marjoram  and  wild  thyme. 

Fournier,  the  eminent  botanist,  finds  in  Mexico  six  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
varieties  of  grasses,  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  of  which,  it  is  said,  occur  in  no 
other  land.     Of  the  rest,  eighty-two  are  found  in  the  United  States. 

AZTEC    AGRICULTURE,  , 

At  the  time  Mexico  was  invaded  by  the  Spaniards,  was  in  In  advanced  state, 
even  if  we  compare  it  with  European  progress  at  the  opening  of  the  fifteenth 
century. 

When,  according  to  tradition,  the  Toltecs  were  banished  from  their  native  coun- 
try,—  or  that  in  which  they  had  sojourned  for  a  long  period,  —  and  began  their 
journey  southward,  they  tarried  at  certain  places,  and  there  erected  houses  and 
planted  cotton  and  corn ;  and  in  this  manner  leisurely  approached  Tula,  where  they 
remained  many  years,  and  eventually  reached  the  valley  of  Mexico.  The  Aztecs, 
upon  their  arrival,  or  at  a  period  subsequent,  incorporated  into  their  nation  the 
remains  of  the  scattered  Toltec  tribes,  and  gained  thereby  many  arts  and  processes 
hitherto  unknown  to  them.  It  was  probably  after  the  founding  of  the  Aztec  capi- 
tal, Tenochtitlan,  in  1325,  that  they  made  use  of  the  chinampas,  or  floating  gardens, 
upon  which  they  planted  vegetables  necessary  for  their  subsistence. 

In  preparing  their  land  for  cultivation,  they  first  cut  down  the  trees,  and  then 
burned  it  over,  the  ashes  being,  so  far  as  is  known,  their  only  fertilizer.  They 
enclosed  their  fields  with  walls  and  hedges  of  agave,  and  labored  industriously  to 
keep  them  in  good  condition.  Their  implements  were  few,  and  of  the  rudest 
description,  being  but  a  wooden  shovel  or  spade,  the  coatl,  or  hoe,  of  copper,  with  a 
handle  of  wood,  and  a  rude  knife  or  sickle  of  the  same  metal.  In  planting,  they 
made  a  hole  with  a  sharpened  stick,  into  which  the  seed  was  dropped,  and  covered 
with  the  foot.  They  carefully  protected  their  fields  from  birds  and  predatory 
animals,  by  means  of  watchmen,  and,  especially  in  the  tierra  caliente,  —  practised 
irrigation  in  a  most  economical  and  scientific  manner.  They  built  granaries  and 
stored  vast  quantities  of  corn  —  their  only  cereal ;  besides  which,  they  had  beans, 
chile,  magueys,  pumpkins  and  gourds,  and  later,  cacao,  vanilla,  and  many  other 
native  fruits.  While  providing  themselves  with  the  necessaries  of  life,  they  did  not 
neglect  the  cultivation  of  those  plants  usually  regarded  by  the  savage  as  useless : 
their  gardens  of  flowers  and  odoriferous  plants  were  the  wonder  of  the  Spaniards 
when  they  first  entered  the  valley.  The  markets  of  Mexico,  as  the  Aztecs  became 
firmly  fixed  in  their  valley  fortress,  and  as  they  extended  their  conquests  to  the 
coasts  on  either  side,  became  filled  with  the  vegetable  production  of  every  zone  and 
climate ;  as  attested  by  the  letters  of  Cortes,  Bernal  Diaz,  and  others. 


AZTEC  AGRICULTURE.  1 3 

The  Mexicans  then  had  long  smce  passed  the  dividing  line  between  the  rude 
nomads  of  the  plains  and  forest,  and  the  patient  cultivator  of  the  soil ;  they  were 
even  more  than  mere  herdsmen,  had  passed  beyond  the  pastoral  period,  and  were 
firmly  fixed  in  possession  of  estates.  Without  beasts  of  burden,  they  were  obliged 
to  train  the  lower  classes  to  carry  neavy  loads,  and  labor  in  the  field  was  per- 
formed solely  by  human  hands.  But  they,  —  even  in  their  necessitous  condition,  — 
were  more  advanced  than  many  nations  of  Europe,  and  even  than  the  English, 
if  we  may  believe  one  of  the  earliest  of  our  books  on  agriculture. 

The  range  of  food-plants  on  the  table-land  of  Mexico  was  not  broad,  but  the 
people  utilized  them  all.  Maize  was  their  chief  reliance,  growing  everywhere  from 
coast  to  mountain-top;  and  from  it  they  prepared  a  variety  of  foods  and  drinks 
perfectly  astonishing.  They  clothed  themselves  with  cotton,  from  the  tropic  coast- 
belt,  drank  beverages  prepared  from  the  cacao  {chocolatl),  the  maguey  and  the 
maize,  and  drew  upon  the  sylvan  fauna  and  flora  for  a  multitude  of  simple  articles 
of  sustenance.  While  they  had  no  fowls,  except  the  wild  turkeys  and  curassows 
(crax  alecfor),  they  obtained  eggs  from  iguanas,  turtles,  alligators,  and  some  native 
birds;  and  meat  from  quail,  rabbits,  deer,  akos,  or  native  dogs,  peccaries,  and  other 
animals  indigenous  to  the  country.  Agriculture  proper,  however,  in  its  most  re- 
stricted sense,  —  the  tillage  of  the  soil,  —  furnished  them  with  their  principal 
aliment.  Aside  from  tradition,  and  the  records  of  the  picture-writings,  —  which 
some  may  question,  and  we  will  not  call  in  testimony,  —  "ineffaceable  evidence 
of  a  high  state  of  agriculture  exists  all  over  Mexico."  One  may  still  find,  on  the 
savannas  of  the  coast,  as  they  extend  up  towards  the  hills  and  .mountains,  "  traces 
of  a  dense  agricultural  population;  of  tribes  who  had  passed  away  long  before  the 
Spanish  invasion;  for,  when  these  plains  are  laid  bare  by  fire,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  entire  region  was  formed  into  terraces,  by  means  of  walls  of  masonry,  with 
every  precaution  against  the  ravages  of  the  tropical  rains.  .  .  .  All  is  now 
concealed  by  trees,  or  tall  grass;  for  miles,  scarcely  a  hut  is  built,  where  formerly 
every  foot  of  land  was  as  diligently  cultivated  as  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  or  the 
Euphrates,  in  Solomon's  time.'' 

"  In  the  other  Hemisphere,"  says  the  historian  Herrera,  in  the  quaint  English 
version  of  his  time,  "there  were  no  dogs,  asses,  sheep,  goats,  swine,  cats,  horses, 
mules,  camels,  nor  elephants ;  no  oranges,  lemons,  pomegranates,  figs,  quince, 
olives,  melons,  vines,  sugar,  wheat,  nor  rice." 

By  indicating  what  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  America  lacked,  we  may  be 
better  able  to  show  what  was  accomplished  after  the  Europeans  had  gained  pos- 
session of  the  country.  Every  variety  of  soil  and  climate  having  been  bestowed 
upon  it,  a  natural  dwelling-place  could  always  be  found  for  whatever  fruit  or 
vegetable  was  introduced  from  the  Old  World. 

Hernando  Cortes  wrote  to  his  sovereign,  shortly  after  the  siege  of  Mexico :  "  All 
the  plants  of  Spain  thrive  admirably  in  this  land.  We  shall  not  proceed  here  as 
we  have  done  in  the  isles  (West  Indies),  where  we  have  neglected  cultivation,  and 
destroyed  the  inhabitants."  Unfortunately,  both  for  Spain  and  for  M'exico,  the 
home-government  pursued  a  policy,  after  the  subjugation  of  New  Spain,  diametri- 
cally opposite  to  that  suggested  and  advised  by  Cortes  and  the  conquerors. 

Of  little  avail  were  the  entreaties  of  those  who  had  the  prosperity  of  Mexico  at 
heart,  and  would  have  brought  out  the  latent  energies  of  her  people.  They  were 
not  allowed  to  encourage  any  industries  which  would  conflict  with  those  of  Spain 


14  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


REAL    ESTATE    IN    MEXICO. 

It  is  as  true  now  as  twenty  years  ago,  when  Sartorius  (a  German  by  birth,  a 
keen  observer,  and  long  a  resident  in  Mexico),  wrote,  that  the  soil  of  the 
Republic  of  Mexico  is,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  hands  of  private  individuals  and 
corporations ;  comparatively  little  is  State  property,  and  this  little  chiefly  in  the 
northern  districts.  Mexico  is  a  conquered  country;  the  original  conquerors  selected 
large  estates,  and  were  confirmed  in  the  possession  of  the  same  by  the  Spanish 
government.  The  original  Indian  possessors  were  included  in  these  grants,  as 
serfs;  but  they  were  suffered  to  retain  the  soil  they  cultivated,  on  paying  rent. 
Subsequently  a  law  was  promulgated  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians,  that  the 
country  round  each  village,  to  the  distance  of  six  hundred  yards,  measured  from 
the  church,  should  belong  to  the  community.  Many  villa-ges  and  towns  which  had 
fought  as  allies  against  the  Aztecs,  not  only  retained  their  lands,  but  were  even 
rewarded  with  the  confiscated  lands  of  their  neighbors.  Churches  and  convents 
were  endowed  with  landed  estates,  and  whenever  a  spot  was  discovered  without  an 
owner,  some  Spanish  ofiicial,  soldier,  or  priest,  soon  managed  to  obtain  it  as  a  fief. 
The  soil  being  thus  partitioned  out,  it  was  natural  for  large  estates  to  become  the 
property  of  individuals,  especially  in  the  northern,  less  populous  provinces,  where 
the  conquest  gradually  proceeded,  and  the  leaders  had  leisure  to  acquire  the  con- 
quered lands  for  themselves  and  their  followers.  The  large  estates  in  Mexico  are 
Aacieiidas,  which,  when  intended  for  agriculture,  are  called  haciendas  de  labor,  and 
when  for  cattle-breeding,  Iiaciendas  de  ganado. 

The  agriculturists  and  graziers  of  Mexico  belong  by  descent  to  the  Creoles  and 
Mestizos,  and  are  its  most  independent  class.  "  They  are,"  continues  Sartorius, 
"conservative,  attached  to  old  habits,  to  patriarchal  customs,  to  discipline  and 
order  in  the  house,  religious,  honest,  and  hospitable,  but  at  the  same  time  frugal." 

SEED-TIME    AND    HARVEST. 

In  some  states,  as  Vera  Cruz,  Oaxaca,  Tabasco,  Guerrero,  Jalisco,  and  Mexico, 
three  harvests  may  be  annually  secured.  The  yield  varies  from  a  return  of  forty 
for  one  planted,  to  three  hundred ;  but  the  general  return  is  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  for  one.  In  the  hot  climate  of  the  coast  and  in  some  portions  of  the  interior 
seeds  and  grains  may  be  kept  from  eight  to  ten  months,  in  the  temperate  region 
from  eighteen  months  to  two  years,  and  in  the  cold  regions  as  long  as  four  years. 

The  rainy  season  commences  early  in  June,  and  lasts  until  the  autumnal  equinox. 
Frosts  are  frequent  on  the  northern  frontier  in  winter,  and  in  other  localities  of 
great  elevation.  Hailstorms  also  occur  in  the  colder  regions,  but  not  with  fre- 
quency. Throughout  the  country  it  is  more  necessary  to  guard  against  drouth  than 
excessive  wet.  Irrigation  is  needed,  and  largely  used  when  practicable,  all  over  the 
country.  Should  the  rainy  season  be  greatly  retarded,  the  crops  suffer,  and  are 
sometimes  entirely  lost.  The  hour  of  work  in  the  hot  climates  are,  for  a  day  labor- 
er, from  five  in  the  morning  to  eleven,  and  from  three  in  the  afternoon  till  seven; 
in  the  temperate  and  cold  regions  they  are  from  morning  to  evening  twilight,  with 
two  to  three  hours'  rest  for  breakfast  and  dinner ;  on  some  haciendas  the  laborers 
have  daily  tasks  which  they  complete  at  their  discretion.  The  workmen  are  paid 
weekly,  every  Saturday  evening  or  Sunday  morning.     The  men  received,  before  the 


SEED-TIME   AXD   HARVEST.  1 5 

late  r-dvent  of  railways  raised  the  wages  in  the  districts  through  which  they  run, 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty-seven  cents  (with  or  without  rations) ;  and  boys  from 
twelve  to  eighteen.  Women  are  rarely,  though  occasionally,  employed  in  the  fields, 
but  prepare  and  carry  to  the  laborers  their  meals.  A  ration  {racion)  consists  of  corn 
{inaiz),  beans  [frijoUs],  salt,  and  chile,  or  red  pepper,  in  sufficient  quantity. 

AGRICULTURE  ON  THE  TABLE-LAND. 

Sartorius,  to  whom  we  again  refer  as  the  best  authority  on  the  agriculture  of 
Mexico,  and  one  commended  by  Mexicans  of  high  standing,  has  the  following  on 
this  subject :  The  immense  plateaux  extending  from  the  sixteenth  to  the  thirtieth 
degrees  of  north  latitude,  which  are  from  five  thousand  to  eight  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  produce  nowhere  tropical  plants.  The  jjlants  of  the  Old  World  are  here 
met  with,  and  maize,  maguey,  and  the  cactus  for  breeding  the  cochineal. 

The  husbandmen  either  resort  to  artificial  irrigation  or  sow  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son. In  the  beautiful  valleys  of  Chiapes  and  Oa.xaca,  Perote,  Puebla,  Atlisco,  Tlas- 
cala,  Mexico,  and  Toluca,  in  the  rich  lowlands  of  Rio  Grande  de  .Santiago,  and  in 
many  plains  of  the  northern  States,  the  rivers  and  brooks,  sometimes  even  the  lakes, 
are  employed  for  artificial  irrigation ;  and,  when  this  does  not  suffice,  by  means  of 
immense  dikes  elevated  valleys  have  been  converted  into  lakes,  which  fill  during  the 
rainy  season,  and  supply  the  fields  afterwards  with  necessary  moisture.  Many 
haciendas  are  furnished  with  expensive  aqueducts  which  frequently  convey  the  water 
for  miles.  All  these  estates  grow  wheat  and  maize,  but  on  a  larger  scale  than  most 
European  estates.  The  soil  is  plowed  for  wheat  in  October,  the  grain  is  sowed  in 
November,  and  the  water  admitted  to  the  furrows.  The  seed  soon  shoots  up,  is 
watered  twice  more  during  the  winter,  twice  in  spring,  and  ripens  in  May,  or  June. 

The  threshing  is  performed  by  means  of  horses  or  mules,  treading  out  the  grain, 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  fields.  Many  of  the  estates  have  their  own  mills, 
and  send  the  flour  to  the  towns,  where  the  consumption  of  fine  bread  is  greater  in 
proportion  than  in  Europe,  while  the  native  population  of  the  villages  consume 
chiefly  maize  bread,  tortilla.  Rye  is  cultivated  here  and  there,  oats  nowhere,  but 
barley  to  a  considerable  extent.  Various  sorts  of  maize  are  grown,  which  arc, 
doubtless,  varieties  of  one  species,  but  must  be  selected  according  to  climate  and 
soil.  If,  as  is  occasionally  the  case,  the  early  crop  of  maize  suffers  from  the  cold, 
barley  is  planted  in  the  rainy  season  to  make  up  for  it,  by  which  means  the  forage 
keeps  down  in  price ;  for  barley,  with  the  exception  of  the  small  quantity  lately  re- 
quired for  brewing  (now  rapidly  increasing)  is  used  exclusively  for  feeding.  Of  the 
summer  plants  grown  on  the  estates  none  are  so  universal  as  beans,  which  are  in 
great  request  throughout  the  country.  To  these  may  be  added  horse  beans,  lentils, 
pistachios,  chile  (capsicum  annum),  batate  or  sweet  potato,  and  occasionally  rape 
and  the  potato.  Vine  cultivation  is  increasing  in  the  north.  The  plateaux  are  rich 
in  numerous  species  of  cactus,  which  nature  produces  in  the  strangest  forms. 

The  soil  is  rarely  manured,  the  mineral  components  being  such  that  their  decom- 
position by  air  and  water  causes  extraordinary  fertility,  and  is  constantly  renewed. 
Many  districts  have  been  sown  every  year  for  centuries  with  maize,  a  plant  that 
exhausts  the  soil  more  than  any  other,  and  still  one  constantly  sees  rich  crops.  If 
we  r^egard  the  plants  of  Tlascala,  Cholula,  Toluca,  and  others,  we  find  the  soil 
covered  with  decomposed  volcanic  matter,  or  ashes  and  lava,  which  by  gradual  de- 


1 6  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

composition  maintain  its  fertilit)'.  In  many  districts  less  favored  by  nature,  the  soil 
is  lightly  manured  by  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats.  The  manure  from  the  stables  of 
horses  and  mules  is  heaped  up  in  the  yard  as  rubbish,  and  in  autumn  burnt.  Only 
horses  and  mules,  such  as  are  required  for  immediate  use,  are  kept  in  stables,  while 
horned  cattle  never  have  shelter.  Their  forage  is  almost  always  dry  chopped  straw, 
mixed  with  maize  or  barley,  while  the  oxen  sometimes  get  maize  straw,  and  in  the 
rainy  season  green  fodder,  besides  the  grass  of  the  pasture,  which  is  insufficient 
during  the  working  season.  With  rare  exceptions,  oxen  are  used  for  ploughing ; 
large  estates  often  require  two  hundred  yoke  or  more.  The  plow  is  still  the 
ancient  Roman  one  used  in  Spain,  which  merely  furrows  the  soil,  instead  of  turning 
it  up.     The  harrow  is  not  much  used,  a  thorn-bush  replacing  it. 

It  is  only  during  the  maize  harvest  that  the  Indian  women  are  actively  employed 
in  the  field,  it  being  considered  more  as  a  holiday,  as  all  wish  to  be  in  at  the  viiida 
(the  widow),  the  last  ear  that  comes  from  the  field.  A  tall  stalk  with  the  finest  fruit 
is  selected,  ornamented  with  ribbons  and  plumes,  and  conveyed  in  triumphant  pro- 
cession to  the  master's  house,  as  an  indication  of  the  harvest  being  completed.  A 
dance,  or  at  least  some  bottles  of  brandy,  reward  the  attention  of  the  servants.  On 
all  the  haciendas  the  woik  is  performed  by  day  laborers,  who  live  on  the  estate,  and 
serve  voluntarily.  They  are  not  boarded,  but  receive  their  pay  in  money,  and  usu- 
ally every  week  a  ration  of  maize  and  pulse.  Should  they  be  hindered  from  work- 
ing by  sickness,  or  if  the  master  makes  special  advances  for  weddings,  christenings, 
or  burials,  they  are  forced  to  incur  debt,  and  are  naturally  obliged  to  work  it  off. 
The  wages  on  the  plateaux,  about  two  reales,  or  twenty-five  cents,  are  doubled  and 
trebled  on  the  coast.  During  harvest-time  laborers  are  procured  from  the  Indian 
villages,  who  come  for  a  week  or  fortnight,  with  their  provisions  and  tools,  and  are 
usually  conducted  by  a  capitan,  appointed  by  the  village  alcade.  These  people  are 
willing,  moderate,  and  enduring,  but  are  only  to  be  obtained  when  they  have  finished 
harvesting  in  their  own  little  plantations.  The  land  belonging  to  most  of  the  haci- 
endas is  too  extensive  for  the  proprietor  to  cultivate  even  ihe  fourth  part  of  it.  He 
therefore  devotes  the  remainder  of  it  to  cattle-breeding,  or  lets  it  out  to  farmers. 

IN    THE    TIERRA    CALIENTE,  OR    HOT    COAST    REGION. 

"Agriculture  on  the  table-lands,"  says  the  observant  writer  last  quoted,  and  whom 
we  shall  follow  a  little  farther,  "has  its  prescribed  limits,  according  to  the  soil  and 
the  climate.  The  European  may  easily  fancy  himself  in  his  own  country;  the  corn- 
fields, the  meadows,  and  market  gardens,  even  the  orchards,  are  those  of  temperate 
zones.  On  crossing  the  mountain  ridges  which  encircle  the  plateaux,  be  it  to  the 
east  or  west,  the  whole  physiognomy  of  the  country  assumes  a  decided  tropical 
appearance ;  the  heights  are  wooded ;  instead  of  the  fine  short  Alpine  grass,  the 
plains  are  covered  with  taller  grasses;  the  ground  is  overshadowed  with  creeping 
plants  and  brushwood;  and  agriculture  obtains  produce  of  a  very  different  kind. 
The  estates  of  the  east  coast  differ  from  those  of  the  west  coast.  In  the  latter 
all  the  perennial  plants  require  artificial  irrigation,  whilst  the  coast  lands  of  the  Gulf, 
near  the  mountains,  have  rain  throughout  the  year.  Maize, //"{/^/d-j,  tobacco,  rice, 
cotton,  and  indigo  are  cultivated  as  summer  plants,  that  is  to  say,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  rainy  season,  and  require  no  further  irrigation ;  the  sugar-cane,  coffee, 
cocoa,  vanilla,  rice,  manioc,  and  the  banana,  must  have  irrigable  land  on  the  west 
side ;  on  the  east  side  in  a  few  places  only. 


THE    TIERRA    CALIEXTE,   OR  HOT  COAST  REGION.    17 

"On  the  table-land  the  soil  must  be  plowed  for  sowing;  in  the  tierra  caliente  the 
plow  is  met  with  on  the  larger  plantations  only.  The  rancheros  plant  their  summer 
produce  mostly  in  forest  land,  where  no  plow  can  be  employed.  In  the  dry  .season 
they  hew  down  all  the  trees  and  bushes.  The  wood  is  allowed  to  dry  for  some 
months,  and  then  set  fire  to.  When  the  rain  sets  in,  the  grain  is  sown  without  the 
soil  being  turned  up.  With  an  iron-pointed  stick  holes  are  bored  in  the  ground, 
and  the  seed-corn  cast  in.  Maize,  beans,  rice,  cotton,  etc.,  are  sown  in  this  manner, 
and  tobacco  transplanted.  Iji  a  few  days  the  young  seed  shoots  up,  and  with  it 
innumerable  weeds.  Cotton  thrives  there  only  where  the  winter  months  are  without 
rain,  especially  on  the  southern  and  ocean  coasts,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cor- 
dilleras to  the  height  of  three  thousand  feet.  On  the  east  side  the  winter  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  mountains  is  too  damp.  The  cotton  is  spoiled  by  dew  and 
rain,  in  consequence  of  which  it  is  planted  in  the  hot  coast  regions  only. 

"The  indolence  of  the  inhabitants  is  wonderful.  A  few  dozen  bananas,  a  small 
field  with  manioc  and  maize,  afford  nourishment  without  much  labor.  The  coast 
rivers  abound  in  excellent  fish  and  turtle,  and  there  are  whole  forests  of  palms 
affordmg  palm-wine  and  oil.  The  small  planter,  or  ranchero,  of  the  warmer  dis- 
tricts, besides  his  maize  field,  has  usually  some  plots  of  land  with  beans,  chile, 
tomatoes,  yams,  and  bananas,  which  furnish  him  with  a  quantity  of  nourishment 
The  edible  arum  root  bears  from  ten  to  fifteen  pounds'  v^'eight  of  bulbs  to  each 
plant,  the  yam  (dioscorea)  develops  monstrous  roots  weighing  from  fifty  to  eighty 
pounds,  the  batata,  or  sweet  potato,  produces  its  meally  bulb  three  or  four  months 
after  being  planted,  and  the  manioc  (jfatrofjta  manihot)  gives  a  quantity  of  excellent 
starch,  while  the  bananas  and  plantain  yield  more  fruit  (upon  which  alone  the  family 
could  subsist)  than  they  can  consume. 

"  The  rancheros  of  the  tierra  caliente  live  mostly  in  frail  huts  of  bamboo  and  reeds, 
open  for  the  passage  of  cool  breezes,  and  shaded  by  bananas  and  plantains.  Beneath 
the  roof  swings  a  hammock,  and  very  few,  indeed,  are  the  domestic  utensils.  They 
can  seldom  read  or  write.  When  they  intend  marrying,  they  must  know  part  of  the 
Catechism  by  heart,  therefore,  when  the  time  comes,  be  crammed  up  to  the  mark. 
They  are  not  fond  of  hard  work,  nor  have  they  any  need  of  it,  as  they  have  plenty 
to  live  upon  if  they  devote  but  a  few  hours  a  day  to  agricultural  labor.  They  are 
good  hunters,  know  the  haunts  of  the  deer  and  wild  boar,  and  track  the  wild  turkey. 
The  men  tan  the  deer-skins  remarkably  well,  dye  and  make  their  clothes  of  them ; 
the  women  spin  and  weave  cotton.  During  half  the  year  there  is  little  or  nothing- 
to  be  done  in  the  field.  The  chase  is  then  attended  to,  or  the  fibres  of  the  long- 
leaved  bromelia  pita,  or  of  the  maguey,  are  prepared,  cordage  and  ropes  made  of  it, 
and  sent  to  market.  In  other  localities  they  collect  copal,  storax,  and  Peruvian 
balsam,  the  fruits  of  the  oil-palm,  pimento  or  vanilla.  Many  days,  however,  are 
passed  extended  on  the  mat,  playing  the  guitar,  sleeping,  or  staring  up  at  the  blue 
sky."  To  counterbalance  the  many  advantages  of  life  in  the  tierra  caliente,  there  are 
the  many  dangers  attendmg  it,  especially  to  the  unacclimated,  resulting  from  noxious 
disease  peculiar  to  the  tropic  coast,  the  poisonous  insects  and  reptiles.-and  the  very 
monotony  of  an  isolated  existence. 

HORSE    AND    CATTLE    RAISING, 

It  is  not  owing  solely  to  the  fact  that  the  large  haciendas  are  too  vast  to  cultivate, 
that  so  many  Mexicans  devote  themselves  to  the  herdsman's  life.     Ill  is  a  pursuit  of 


■I 8  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

which  they  are  fond,  a  love  for  which  has  Ijeen  inherited,  both  by  the  Spaniard  and 
the  Mexican  of  the  mixed  race.  The  Indian  rarely  takes  to  the  raising  of  cattle, 
horses,  or  sheep,  both  on  account  of  poverty  and  natural  disinclination.  Cattle 
thrive  best  in  the  tierra  caliente,  while  horses,  sheep,  and  goats  rarely  do  their  best 
except  in  the  upland  region.  In  the  case  of  the  latter,  the  great  number  of  prickly 
plants  become  entangled  in  their  wool,  and  during  the  rainy  season  the  humidity  is 
such  that  the  foot-rot  and  other  diseases  carry  them  off.  The  cattle  are  left  entirely 
to  nature,  and  seek  their  own  pasture  during  the  tainy  season  on  the  savannas, 
during  the  dry  months  in  the  shady  forest.  The  different  pasture-grounds  of  a 
hacienda  are  called  potreros,  and  are  under  the  care  of  herdsmen  (vatjueros),  each 
man  having  usually  from  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred  head  to  look  after.  Although 
wild,  the  cattle  do  not  shun  man,  and  are  easily  attracted  to  the  vaqiiero  by  means 
of  salt,  a  bag  of  which  he  always  carries  at  his  saddle-bow. 

All  the  Mexican  cowherds  are  mounted,  partly  because  it  is  impossible  to  survey 
such  extensive  tracts  on  foot,  partly  because  they  often  require  a  fleet  horse  to  catch 
stragglers.  Frequently  the  animals  injure  themselves,  the  bulls  fight,  a  sharp  thorn, 
or  a  beast  of  prey  (jaguar,  puma,  or  wolf)  wounds  them,  and,  as  in  the  hot  regions, 
the  flesh-fly  lays  its  eggs  in  the  wound,  the  assistance  of  the  herdsman  is  indispensa- 
ble. He  therefore  constantly  has  his  lasso  with  him,  made  of  leather  or  the  fibres 
of  the  maguey.  At  full  gallop  he  pursues  tlie  flying  animal,  casts  the  noose  about 
its  neck,  quickly  turns  his  horse's  head,  and  drags  the  struggling  prisoner  to  the 
nearest  tree,  to  which  it  is  soon  bound.  In  a  moment,  he  has  dismounted,  has 
cast  a  second  noose  about  the  hind-feet,  and  with  one  jerk  the  heaviest  beast  is  ex- 
tended on  the  ground ;  the  hind  and  fore  feet  are  quickly  tied  together,  and  now  the 
surgical  operation  can  be  performed  at  leisure.  The  vaqiiero  endures  the  hardest 
toil  for  very  little  pay,  living  a  life  of  constant  fatigue,  and  is  in  the  saddle  by  night 
and  by  day.  He  always  lives  in  the  middle  of  his  pasture-grounds,  near  a  watering- 
place,  and  has  a  strong  inclosure  of  stone  or  logs  (corral),  into  which  the  herd  can 
be  driven.  The  calves  are  taken  thither  when  some  days  old,  and  tied  up  under  a 
shed.  Instinct  leads  the  cows  twice  a  day  to  the  enclosure  to  give  their  young  the 
required  nourishment.  Part  of  the  milk  is  withdrawn,  and  this  is  done  more  for 
the  sake  of  taming  both  cow  and  calf,  and  to  accustom  them  to  man,  than  for  the 
sake  of  the  milk.  After  two  months  the  calf  is  set  at  libert)',  but  it  now  remains, 
especially  if  it  be  driven  once  a  week  with  the  herd  to  receive  a  little  salt. 

Many  estates  there  are,  throughout  Mexico,  that  possess  from  ten  thousand  to 
twenty  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  it  frequently  happens  that,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  obtaining  herdsmen,  whole  herds  run  wild,  and  are  not  readily  caught.  It 
is  indispensable  in  the  raising  of  cattle  that  they  be  driven  into  corral  at  least  once 
a  year,  and  must  often  be  treated  to  salt.  The  yearly  branding  of  calves  and  cattle 
is  called  herradero,  and  is  made  an  important  festival.  The  great  profit  is  in  the 
sale  of  the  oxen  and  old  cows  to  the  butchers,  as  a  great  quantity  of  meat  is  con- 
sumed in  the  country.  The  ranchero  usually  slaughters  his  fat  cattle  himself,  and 
makes  scsina  or  tasajo  of  the  meat.  This  is  done  by  cutting  all  the  flesh  into  strips 
about  four  inches  broad  and  two  thick  and  several  feet  in  length.  It  is  then  well 
sprinkled  with  fine  salt,  and  with  the  juice  of  lemons,  the  whole  mass  being  wrapped 
up  over  night  in  the  hide.  The  next  day,  as  soon  as  the  sun  is  high  enough,  the 
strips  are  hung  upon  liner,  and  thoroughly  dried  by  the  air  and  sun.  The  process 
is  finished  in  some  days,  and  the  meat  is  then  packed  in  bales,  and  sent  to  market. 


HOT^SES,    CATTLE,    SHEET,    GOATS,    AND    SWTYE.       1 9 

Vast  quantities  of  this  dried  meat  are  consumed,  for  it  is  savory,  keeps  well,  and 
is  soon  prepared,  it  being  only  necessary  to.  lay  a  piece  on  the  coals  and  roast  it. 

In  the  shrubless  plains  of  Zacateces,  San  Luis  Potosi,  Durango,  Coahuila,  and 
Chihuahua,  contmues  the  authority  upon  whom  we  are  mainly  depending  for  this 
information,  the  soil  is  everywhere  poorly  manured.  In  the  rainy  season,  from  June 
till  October,  these  plains  are  covered  with  tall  grass,  but  in  December  all  begins  to 
fade,  the  pools  in  the  hollow  dry  up,  and  in  the  warmest  months,  April  and  May, 
water  is  frequently  not  met  with  for  days.  In  these  deserts  the  horses  and  mules  are 
chiefly  bred.  The  haciendas  are  seldom  sufficiently  furnished  with  water,  and  are 
forced  to  have  recourse  to  tanks,  in  which  it  is  collected,  or  to  bore  deep  wells. 

It  is  infinitely  more  difficult  to  breed  horses  than  cattle.  The  latter  are  impelled 
by  instinct  to  seek  for  watering-places,  which  they  find  in  the  deepest  ravines,  often 
wandering  several  leagues  a  day  to  a  river  or  lake,  and  always  returning  before 
night  to  the  favorite  pasture.  The  horses,  on  the  contrary,  must  be  driven  every 
day  to  >4'ater,  as  they  would  otherwise  die  of  thirst.  The  mares  always  keep  to- 
gether in  troops  of  forty  or  sixty  (in  atajos)  being  led  by  a  stallion,  who  often  trots 
round  the  troop  to  hurry  those  that  lag  behind,  and  who  fights  furiously  with  any 
other  stallion  that  may  chance  to  approach. 

The  herdsmen  of  these  troops  are  the  boldest  horsemen  in  existence.  They  lead 
a  poor  life,  as  their  salary  rarely  exceeds  five  dollars  a  month  ;  they  live  in  wretched 
huts,  and  seldom  behold  a  village,  or  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  society.  Half  their  time 
is  passed  in  the  saddle,  and  their  delight  is  to  race  with  other  herdsmen,  to  cast  the 
lasso,  and  to  mount  the  untamed  horses  and  mules. 

Good  stallions  are  dear,  and  command  high  prices.  Mules  are  bred  on  the  north- 
ern plateaux,  and  require  more  attention  than  horses.  Four-year  fillies  are  bought 
up  from  the  pasture  at  from  eight  to  ten  dollars  each,  mules  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  dollars.  The  large  estates  have  often  from  eight  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
horses  and  mules,  and  usually  effect  their  sales  in  winter,  in  the  larger  towns. 

Sheep-breeding  is  carried  on,  in  most  districts,  leSs  for  the  wool  than  for  the  tallow 
and  flesh.  The  race  is  bad,  and  the  wool  inferior,  although  the  extensive  dry  pas- 
tures, the  mountain-ridges  covered  with  aromatic  herbs,  and  the  equable  climate, 
would  be  in  the  highest  degree  favorable  to  an  improved  breed.  From  egotism  and 
petty  jealousy,  the  Spaniards  never  introduced  the  Merino  breed  to  the  colonies.  It 
is  on  record,  however,  that  Cortez  was_  the  first  to  do  this  very  thing,  after  he  had 
secured  the  estate  and  marquisate  of  Oaxaca.  Just  as  they  prohibited  the  culture 
of  the  vine,  of  olives,  and  m.ulberries  in  Mexico,  in  order  to  retain  for  the  mother- 
country  the  trade  in  wine,  oil,  and  silk,  so  were  they  determined  to  keep  the  trade 
in  fine  cloth  in  their  own  hands,  without  reflecting  that  the  traffic  in  fine  wool  would 
have  brought  them  in  a  far  more  considerable  profit.  In  recent  years,  however, 
some  of  the  more  enterprising  Mexicans  have  procured  superior  ewes  .and  rams 
from  Saxony  and  the  Pyrenees,  and  the  effect  is  already  becoming  apparent.  To- 
wards the  end  of  the  rainy  season  the  flocks  are  collected,  the  fat  wethers  and  old 
ewes  selected  and  slaughtered,  and  the  flesh  stewed  down  in  a  range  of  large  coppers. 
The  firm  tallow,  in  masses  of  about  two  hundred  pounds,  is  packed  in  sheep  skins, 
and  forwarded  to  the  cities  and  mining  districts,  where  it  meets  with  a  ready  sale. 
The  slaughtering  period  [inatanza]  usually  lasts  a  month,  and  is  a  holiday  for  the 
shepherds  who  have  only  to  perform  the  slaughtering,  skinning,  and  cutting  up,  re- 
ceiving as  extra  wages  the  heads  and  intestines  of  the  victims,  and  fatten  themselves 


20  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

and  families  for  a  long  time  with  heads  and  livers.  The  cooked  meat  from  which 
the  fat  has  been  extracted  {came  de  chito)  lies  there  in  complete  mountains  after  a 
matanza;  it  is  bought  up  by  dealers,  and  sold  in  the  villages. 

Goats  and  swine  are  also  reared  in  great  numbers,  both,  also,  for  the  sake  of  their 
fat.  The  steep,  craggy  hills  and  mountains,  covered  with  thorns  and  creeping- 
plants,  afford  them  a  perfect  paradise,  where  they  are  fattened  with  greater  celerity 
than  in  the  slums  of  great  cities.  The  milk  either  of  goat  or  cow  is  not  utilized  to 
any  extent  in  Mexico ;  as  a  consequence,  butter  is  scarce,  and  cheese  mostly  im- 
ported. The  chief  profit  of  goats  is  in  the  tallow,  a  fat  he-goat  yielding  about 
twelve,  and  a  she-goat  ten  pounds  of  tallow.  In  Jalisco  and  Michoacan  many  estates 
fatten  a  thousand  swine  annually,  and  sell  them  in  droves  to  the  soap-boilers  and 
ham-salters  of  Toluca  and  Perote. 


IRRIGATION. 

By  the  establishing  of  a  school  of  agriculture,  and  by  the  encouraging  of  farmers 
to  procure  the  best  breeds  of  cattle,  etc.,  the  "  Department  of  Public  Works,"  in 
Mexico,  has  in  mind  the  thorough  cultivation  of  Mexican  soil,  by  the  best  and 
most  improved  processes. 

It  offers  some  inducements  to  immigrants,  but  prefers  those  of  the  Latin  race, 
as  more  readily  assimilating  with  the  native  population.  But  its  attention  should 
rather  be  directed  towards  a  system  of  irrigation,  which,  by  a  network  of  arteries, 
or  by  means  of  artesian  wells,  should  feed  the  vast  deserted  tracks  with  water, — 
that  life-blood  of  agriculture.  The  native  Indians  once  possessed  extensive  irri- 
gating works,  but  they  were  destroyed  by  the  Spaniards,  who,  in  addition  to  this, 
eventually  deprived  the  high  valleys  and  plateaux  of  their  forest  coverings ;  and 
the  soil,  thus  exposed  to  a  tropical  sun,  without  protection  of  undergrowth  or 
timber,  was  carried  away  by  descending  torrents.  This  is  the  condition  of  the 
great  Valley  of  Mexico,  whose  surrounding  hills  are  almost  entirely  denuded  of 
soil  as  well  as  of  vegetation.  The  great  success  resulting  from  irrigation,  in  Califor- 
nia, New  Mexico,  and  other  portions  of  the  lost  territory  of  Mexico,  should  remind 
the  Mexicans  of  the  great  prestige  of  their  ancestors,  and  incite  them  to  the 
re-building   of   ancient  aceqiiias   and  canals,  under  the  care  of  the  State. 

"If  all  the  country,"  says  Seiior  Cubas,  "were  populated,  even  in  proportion  to 
Guanajuato,  the  census  of  the  Republic  would  reach  58,000,000,  and  then  agricul- 
ural  products  would  be  so  much  greater  that  they  would  constitute  an  element 
of  enormous  wealth."  Within  the  territory,  at  present,  there  are  more  than  5,700 
haciendas,  and  13,800  ranches;  the  value  of  landed  property,  based  simply  on  its 
valuation  for  taxes,  was,  in  1876,  ^176,397,300,  without  taking  into  account  streams, 
grazing-lands,  orchards,  and  other  rural  property. 

These  estimates  are  taken  from  the  great  government  report  of  Mexico, — Esta- 
distica  de  la  Repiiblica  Mexicana,  —  which  has  been  the  basis  of  the  preceding 
article,  and  which  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  approximately  accurate.  From 
the  same  source  we  also  obtain  the 


ANNUAL   AGRICULTURAL   PRODUCTIONS. 


21 


AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTIONS    FOR    THE    YEAR    1880. 


Kilograms. 


Value. 


Chickling  vetch 

Cotton 

Beneseed  {sesainitiii  orietitale) 

Canarj'  seed 

Anise 

Indigo 

Rice 

Sugar  

Cacao 

Coffee 

Barley 

Cumin  seed 

Capsicum 

Beans 

Chick  peas 

Beans  (garden)      

Sisal  hemp 

Aloe  fibre  {ixtle) 

Lentil  .     ,     .     • 

Maize 

Potatoes 

Straw 

Tobacco 

Wheat , 

Vanilla 

Sarsaparilla 

Total 


12,650,460 

25,177,760 

3,050,140 

1,121.375 

1,175.950 

192,246 

15,166,588 

70,090  550 

1,443,002 

7,961,808 

232.334.023 

102,337 

54,128,140 

210,183,526 

11,485,422 

15,722,561 

40,080,000 

2,231,890 

2,102,625 

5,309.563.939 

10,557,738 

196,245,600 

7,504,990 

338,704,093 

55.118 

488,022 


$343,283 

6,605,831 

153.643 

57.410 

127,263 

358,002 

1,248,244 

8,761,317 

1,140,050 

2,060,382 

4,403,742- 

23,500 

4,196,482 

8,406,211 

471.07s 

477,610 

3,352,000 

154.053 

83,043 

112,164,424 

457.592 

1,962,879 

2,006,153 

17.436,345 

651,958 

149,489 


6,569.524.903 


$177,451,936 


ANNUAL    MOVEMENT    OF    AGRICULTURAL    INDUSTRIES. 


Olive  oil 

Rapeseed  oil 

Beneseed  oil 

Linseed  oil 

Brandy 

Rum 

Beer 

Flour 

Chocolate 

Sacks,  ropes,  etc 

Various  articles 

Maguey  liquor 

Maguey  wine 

Straw  and  palm-leaf  hats  and  other  fabrics 

Ordinary'  pulque 

Fine  pulque 

Common  pulque 

White  wine 

Red  wine 

Various  liquors 

Coco  wine 

Palm  wine 

Total 


24,815 

$27,629 

434,400 

278,292 

216,300 

156,277 

608,798 

317,734 

531,576 

114,453 

19,317,608 

2,052,150 

10,058,636 

768,703 

124,057,653 

13,463,833 

671,278 

731, SC'? 

835.277 

222,702 

1,868,048 

433,526 

9,016,000 

1,176,000 

5. 152,764 

570,646 

745,449 

370,730 

76,430,097 

323.232 

100,213,127 

3,935,995 

10,511,073 

330,301 

2,212,209 

1,154,190 

3.529,718 

1,508,47s 

2,144,255 

941,021 

131,985 

34,341 

589,467 

51,258 

369,300,533 

$28,962,861 

22  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


SOME    SPECIAL    PRODUCTS. 

"The  merciful  hand  of  Providence,"  says  Lempriere  ("Notes  on  Mexico,"  1862), 
"  has  bestowed  on  the  Mexicans  a  magnilicent  land;  abounding  in  resources  of  all 
kinds,  —  a  land  where  none  ought  to  be  poor,  and  where  misery  ought  to  be  un- 
known,—  a  land  whose  products  and  riches  of  every  kind  are  abundant,  and  as 
varied  as  they  are  rich.  It  is  a  country  endowed  to  profusion  with  every  gift  that 
man  can  desire  or  envy ;  all  the  metals  from  gold  to  lead ;  every  sort  of  climate 
from  perpetual  snow  to  tropical  heat,  and  inconceivable  fertility." 

In  order  to  indicate  the  vast  range  of  food  and  industrial  plants  found  in  Mexico, 
the  writer  has  selected  some  of  the  more  important,  —  mainly  tropical  produc- 
tions,—  which  are  presented  as  worthy  of  attention.  They  are  arranged  in  alpha- 
betical order : — 

Arrmoroot,  from  both  species,  Maranta  arimdinacea,  and  Tacca  pittnatifida,  finds 
in  certain  sections  of  Mexico,  a  soil  and  climate  adapted  to  its  successful  produc- 
tion. The  first-mentioned  species,  a  native  of  South  America,  may  have  been 
cultivated  by  the  aborigines  of  Central  America.  In  the  West  Indies,  in  some 
islands,  great  attention  is  paid  to  its  cultivation,  with  good  results.  Although  not 
an  object  of  much  attention  in  Mexico,  it  should  form  an  important  article  of 
export,  and  is  herewith  recommended  to  the  agriculturists  of  the  tierra  calietite. 

Ba)iaua  ?inA  Plantain,  Musa  sapienUim  and  Miisa  paradisiaca.  —  Everywhere  in 
the  hot  coast  region,  and  on  the  lower  borders  of  "  the  temperate  land,"  wher- 
ever cultivation  is  carried  on,  may  be  seen  the  banana  and  its  sister-plant,  the 
plantain.  The  first,  sweet,  luscious,  and  equally  good  raw  or  cooked,  is  not,  per- 
haps, more  valuable  than  the  second,  which  forms  the  tropical  aborigines'  staple 
article  of  diet.  There  is  little  reason  to  doubt  that  the  plantain  is  indigenous  to 
tropical  America,  and  was  cultivated  by  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  long  before  the 
coming  of  Columbus.  The  many  varieties  of  the  banana  are  the  result  of  long 
cultivation,  and  the  successful  introduction  into  America  of  plants  from  Africa  and 
China.  Regarding  its  productiveness,  we  may  repeat  that  oft-quoted  statement  of 
Humboldt,  that  thirty-three  pounds  of  wheat  and  ninety-nine  pounds  of  potatoes, 
require  the  same  space  of  ground  to  grow  upon,  as  will  produce  four  thousand 
pounds  of  bananas.  From  a  year  to  eighteen  months  is  required  to  ripen  the  fruit 
from  the  first  planting,  but  as  suckers  spring  up  all  about  the  original  stock,  there 
is  afterwards  no  labor,  except  that  of  gathering  the  immense  bunches  of  fruit, 
some  of  which  attain  to  eighty  pounds  weight.  These  plants,  like  the  agave  and 
coco-palm,  are  useful  to  man  in  many  ways ;  for  besides  producing  delicious  fruit, 
they  furnish  material,  from  stalk  and  leaves,  for  paper,  cordage,  etc. 

It  is  said  that  the  first  banana  was  brought  into  America  by  a  Dominican,  in 
1516,  from  the  Canaries  to  Haiti,  from  whence  it  was  transplanted  to  the  Continent. 
The  name  Platano,  of  the  Spanish,  is  supposed  to  be  derived  from  Falan,  its  most 
ancient  name  ;  Banana,  the  French,  from  its  native  Guinea  appellation,  and  Miisa, 
the  Italian,  is  taken  from  the  Arabic. 

Barley,  Spanish  cebada,  introduced  by  the  Spaniards,  growing  in  the  cold  region, 
or  tierra  fria,  to  a  higher  altitude  than  maize,  though  now  used  principally  as 
fodder,  in  a  green  state,  it  will  undoubtedly  attain  to  great  importance  in  the 
brewing  industries  of  the  Republic,  and  as  an  article  of  food.  The  estimated  value 
of   its  production  in   1880,  was  above  ^400,000,  constantly  increasing.     This  most 


SOME   SPECIAL   PRODUCTS.  23 

ancient  of  all  grains,  and  the  most  hardy,  which  has  been  found  in  the  lake-dwellings 
of  Switzerland,  in  deposits  belonging  to  the  stone-period,  was  not  in  cultivation 
(so  far  as  is  known),  among  the  Aztecs. 

'Beans  and  CIi lie.  —  Mexico  has  not  a  monopoly  of  these  products,  though  their 
consumption  is  enormous,  the  first  {frijoles)  constituting  the  chief  aliment  of  the 
poorer  classes,  next  to  corn,  and  the  latter,  chile  {Capsiami  amnnn),  an  invariable 
accompaniment.  Of  the  first,  Mexico  is  estimated  to  have  produced,  in  iSSo,  over 
200    kilograms,  worth    $8,406,211;    and  of   chile,  $4,196,482. 

Cacao,  Theobroma  cacao.  —  The  tree  producing  the  cacao,  or  chocolate-bean,  flour- 
ishes in  the  humid  climate  of  the  tierra  caliente,  especially  in  the  State  of  Tabasco, 
and  produces  an  important  article  of  e.xport.  The  production  in  1879,  based  on 
information  received  by  the  bureau  of  statistics  in  Mexico,  was  of  the  value  of  over 
a  million  dollars.  The  tree,  which  requires  shade  as  well  as  moisture,  in  its  early 
years,  yields  fruit  at  about  the  same  age  as  the  orange.  Its  cultivation  is  simple, 
and  the  preparation  of  the  seed  for  export,  requires  little  labor,  though  watchful 
care  is  necessary. 

CactacecE.  —  As  Mexico  belongs  to  the  botanical  region  of  the  cacti  and  peppers, 
it  is  not  strange  that  we  find  here  the  cactus  family  flourishing  in  greatest  vigor. 
Of  the  five  hundred  species  found  in  America,  Mexico  has  her  full  share,  and  they 
form,  sometimes,  the  only  vegetation  of  certain  vast  plains,  which  without  them 
would  be  level  wastes,  without  an  object  to  relieve  the  eye.  Some  of  them,  as  the 
Cerei,  rise  to  the  height  of  sixty  feet,  their  straight,  rigid,  and  spiny  trunks  support- 
ing great  branches  like  candelabra,  whence  their  name,  candelabra  cacti;  others 
creep  along  the  ground.  The  great,  globular  echinocacti  frequently  attain  to  a 
weight  of  two  hundred  pounds.  All  produce  brilliant  flowers ;  all  are  covered  with 
spines,  and  are  strangely  grotesque  in  shape.  The  cochineal  cactus  (described  in 
"Travels  in  Mexico,"  p.  529)  was  formerly  of  great  value;  but,  since  the  discovery 
of  analine  dyes,  the  culture  of  cochineal  has  almost  entirely  ceased.  Besides  the 
edible  fruits  yielded  by  several  species,  as  the  opuntia,  the  nopal,  etc.,  the  cactacece 
minister  to  man  in  many  indirect  ways.  The  nopal  figures  prominently  in  Mexican 
history,  for  it  was  upon  a  cactus  (nopal),  that  the  Aztecs  beheld  their  traditional 
eagle  perched,  when  they  at  last  reached  Tenochtitlan,  and  it  may  be  seen  emblazoned 
on  the  national  banner  of  the  Mexicans,  and  stamped  on  all  their  coins.  The  giant 
Betahaya  supplies  in  the  north  the  place  of  the  orgaiio,  or  organ  cactus  in  the  south. 

Cassava  {yatropha  mauihot  z.\\A  yatropha  janipha),  mandioca,  or  manioc,  a  plant  of 
tropical  America  long  in  use  by  the  native  inhabitants.  Of  these  two  species  one, 
yatropha  manihot,  is  a  deadly  poison  if  eaten  in  the  green  state,  but  if  the  juice  is 
evaporated  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  or  artificial  heat,  may  be  eaten  with  impunity. 
The  tubers  require  a  dry  soil  not  much  elevated,  and  ripen  in  about  eight  months 
from  time  of  planting,  which  is  done  by  cuttings.  The  cassava,  or  native  bread,  is 
prepared  by  peeling  off  the  dark  outer  rind,  grinding  the  roots  after  a  thorough 
washing,  and  baking  the  "  farine  "  in  thin  cakes  over  a  hot  fire.  Tapioca  is  prepared 
from  it ;  the  tuber  is  rich  in  starch. 

Chirimoya  (A nana  tripetala),  an  American  fruit,  said  to  surpass  in  flavor  any 
grown  in  Europe.  A  native  of  Peru,  but  grown  in  Mexico,  attaining  to  large  size. 
This  fruit  is  heart-shaped,  the  rind  green,  covered  with  small  tubercles,  and  inclos- 
ing a  snow-white,  juicy  pulp,  filled  with  black  kernels.  One  writer  calls  it  a  "mas- 
terpiece of  nature ; "  another  declares  that  its  taste  is  quite  incomparable.  Both 
fruit  and  blossoms  exhale  a  most  delightful  odor. 


24  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Coca  (the  Erythroxylon  coca),  a  narcotic  and  stimulant  plant,  the  leaves  of  which 
are  used  by  the  natives  of  Brazil,  Bolivia,  and  Peru.  Its  home  is  in  the  sultry  val- 
leys of  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Peruvian  and  Bolivian  Andes.  The  shrub  bears  a 
foliage  of  lustrous  green  and  white  flowers  ripening  into  small  scarlet  berries. 
When  the  leaves  are  brittle  enough  to  break  upon  being  bent,  they  are  stripped 
from  the  plant,  dried  in  the  sun,  and  packed  in  sacks.  Coca  lessens  the  desire  for 
food,  and  bestows  upon  the  person  using  it  in  moderate  quantities  great  powers  of 
endurance.  Especially  is  it  valuable  in  the  ascent  of  great  elevations,  preventing 
the  difficulty  of  respiration.  The  writer  has  used  it  with  apparently  good  effect  in 
an  ascent  of  Popocatapetl,  in  1881,  when  he  easily  climbed  to  the  peak  of  that 
mighty  volcano,  experiencing  but  little  uneasiness  from  the  rarefaction  of  the  atmos- 
phere. No  record  exists  of  its  first  discovery,  but  it  was  in  use  in  the  temples  of  the 
Incas,  when  Pizarro  invaded  Peru,  and  the  priests  chewed  coca  while  performing 
their  rites.  It  is  estimated  that  30,000,000  pounds  of  the  dried  leaf  are  annually 
consumed ;  and  it  has  been  suggested  that  its  use  be  more  widely  extended  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  tea  and  coffee.  There  is  no  reason  why  coca  should  not  be  successfully 
grown  on  the  slopes  of  the  Mexican  mountains,  where  climate,  altitude,  and  all  the 
conditions  of  growth  can  be  found  in  perfection. 

The  Coco-palm.  —  To  the  dweller  in  the  coast  country  of  Mexico,  there  is  no  more 
valuable  product,  be  it  tree  or  vegetable,  than  the  coco-palm,  cocos  mccifera.  There 
is  always  danger  of  confusion  in  speaking  of  three  totally  dissimilar  products :  the 
cacao,  coca,  and  cocoa.  The  true  spelling  of  this  word  should  be  without  the  term- 
inal letter,  a.  Coco:  its  Latin  name  is  cocos,  its  Spanish,  coco,  and  its  French,  also. 
The  late  Charles  Kingsley  used  this  orthography,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  cocoa 
is  wrong,  and  a  corruption  of  cacao,  which  is  the  name  of  the  Theohroma  cacao.  In 
order  to  avoid  confusion,  we  shall  speak  of  it  by  its  correct  appellation,  coco. 

It  is  ever  found  growing  by  the  sea,  loving  salt  water  and  salt  sea-breezes  more 
than  the  perfumed  gales  from  out  the  mountain  valleys. 

It  may  be  seen  drooping  over  a  beach  of  golden  sand,  and  forming  a  living  barrier 
between  beach  and  cultivated  land,  or  dotting  the  valleys,  or  standing  up  lone  and 
ragged  upon  a  wind-swept  promontory;  but  it  is  almost  within  sound  of  the  surf- 
beat  of  the  waves.  It  may  stray  away  towards  the  mountains,  may  climb  a  few  hills, 
and  may  shelter  a  little  village  of  huts  beneath  the  waving  crowns  of  itself  and 
companions  at  some  distance  from  the  sea;  but  in  its  luxuriance  and  beauty  and 
profusion  it  is  only  found  near  the  coast.  Other  palms  replace  it  in  the  mountains ; 
other  palms  wander  far  away,  and  revel  in  shade  and  moisture  and  cool  breezes ;  but 
this  palm,  as  if  ever  mindful  of  the  restless  waves  that  bore  its  parent  nut  to  these 
shores,  delights  to  keep  them  company.  And  the  coco  loves  man,  delighting  in  the 
proximity  of  habitations  and  cultivated  fields.  Do  you  meet  with  a  negro  hut,  alone 
or  with  others  clustered  about  it,  no  matter  how  humble,  dilapidated,  obscure, 
above  if  droops  the  feathery  crown  of  a  palm,  its  leaves  caressing  it,  its  nuts  hang- 
ing in  abundance  ready  to  drop  at  the  will  of  the  owner. 

Broad  valleys  stretch  along  the  shore,  extending  far  back  into  the  hills,  one  wav- 
ing sea  of  yellow  cane,  with  no  object  to  relieve  the  billowy  plain  but  the  coco-palm 
and  its  more  aspiring  brother,  the  towering  palmiste.  About  the  sugar-house  and 
the  dwelling  of  the  owner  and  the  overseer,  it  is  scattered  in  picturesque  groups. 
The  coco  is  to  the  tropics  what  the  pine  is  to  the  North,  the  elm  to  New  England,  the 
magnolia  to  the  South. 


THE 


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ESTABLISHED  IN  1825, 

iKINTERS  OF  iALICOES, 


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Com  PAN  I A  Manufacturer  A  Hamilton, 

ESTABLECIDA  EN  1825, 

ESTAMPADORA  DE  TeLAS  DE  ALGODON, 

FADRICA  V  EMPAQUETA  A   LA  ORDEM 

SURTIDOS  DE  ZARAZAS 

PARA  EL 

MERCADO     MEJICANO. 


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are  attached  to  steamers  during  the  summer  season. 

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BOSTON. 


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NEW   YOKK. 


o*  'o-  *?  "r*  's'  "^  '?  o*  '^'  V  *■ 

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• -o  o  S'-i^'i' ? >i"!?  tf -? 9 9 ' 

"b* ■? 9' ^  v.? %"V'? '^ ■5  V 'J- S" 
'  9  V '.?  '? « y  &  -g  9 'i'?  ^" 
.  „"???'?  V  ¥■="?  ^?  ??',■";?  < 
'  y  9  ■?  ■?  'tf  ?  ?  9  V-  9  T?-  'S  'S"^  ■■ 
•  W  9'o-'  W  'S"ii"i'  ?  ■?  S?  V?"?  "3  ^ 


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The  articles  which  have  been  written  commending  this  fasci- 
nating Art-Science,  in  its  present  stage  of  perfection  and  simpli- 
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or  unprofessional  is  now  freely  acknowledged,  and  the  manu- 
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chants lu  Photographic  Supplies. 


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T 


Owning  and  operating  a  Direct  Weekly  Line  between  Boston  and  Savannah,  composed  of  the  Superb 
New  Iron  Steamers  of  2,200  tons  burden  each, 

"  GATE  CITY,"  commanded  by  CAPT.  HEBGE. 

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Elegant  Passenger  Accommodations,  Fastest  Time,  Lowest  Rates. 

Connect  at  Savannah  with  All- Rail  and  Steamer  Lines  to  all  parts  of  "Florida,  the  South,  and  Mexico. 

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SELLING   AGENTS    FOR   THE 


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Boott  Cotton  Mills, 

York  Manuf.  Co., 

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AMONG  THE  PRODUCTS  OF  THESE  MILLS  ARE 


Carpets;   Brown  Cottons  of  all  Grades;   Ginghams,  Staple 

and  Fancy  Patterns;  Canton  Flannels,  both  Brown 

and  Bleached;  Blue  and  Bleached  Drills; 

Ducks,   Seamless    Bags,   etc. 


MANUFACTURER   OF 

PATENT    FOLDING-CHAIRS, 

15    Union    Street,    Worcester,    9Iass. 

The  largest  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  World,  occupying  a  floor-surface  of  over  two  acres; 
supplied  with  the  most  improved  machinery,  also  two  large  dry-houses  upon  the  most  improved  plan. 

The  above  is  in  close  proximity  to  Passenger  and  Freight  Stations. 

I  manufacture  ovi-r  one  fmtidretl  varieties,  adapted  to  Parlor,  Drawing-room,  Army  and 
Navy,  Concert-hall,  Lecture-room,  Mountain  and  Seashore,  Hotels,  and  Private  Residences. 

Also  several  varieties  adapted  for  Undertaker's  use. 

My  facilities  for  producing  First-class  Goods,  and  at  Low  Figures,  are  unequalled. 

Branch  Houses :  New  York,  17  Elizabeth  Street;  Melbourne,  Australia,  7  and  9  Eastern 
.\rcade;  Alexandria,  Egypt,  Place  Mehemet  Ali  and  Passage  Cavour;  London,  E.G.,  3S  King  Wil- 
liam Street  and  Old  Swan  Wharf.  v!i 


TROPICAL   PLANTS.  25 

Coffee.  —  First  found  in  the  forests  of  Abyssinia,  beneath  the  tropic  sun  of  Africa, 
coffee  was  not  known  to  the  world  beyond  till  about  four  hundred  years  ago. 
Its  cultivation  was  then  confined  to  a  small  Arabian  province,  but  its  high  value 
induced  the  Dutch  to  introduce  it  into  Java,  in  1690,  and  as  a  rare  plant  into  the 
botanical  gardens  of  Amsterdam.  The  New  World  obtained  its  supply  from  a  sin- 
gle plant,  which  a  French  naval  officer  carried  to  Martinique,  in  the  West  Indies,  in 
1720,  depriving  himself  of  water,  when  parching  with  thirst,  that  the  tender  shoot 
might  survive.  From  this  one  tree.  It  is  said,  all  the  American  tropical  colonies 
obtained  their  seed,  which  has  multiplied  to  such  an  extent  that  Brazil,  the  West 
Indies,  and  Mexico  supply  us  with  as  much  as  Java  and  Ceylon.  These  are  at  pres- 
ent the  great  coffee  countries,  the  product  of  Mocha  being  small  in  quantity. 

It  is  at  an  elevation  of  about  four  thousand  feet  that  the  coffee  best  thrives,  for 
here  it  gets  shade  and  moisture,  —  which  the  lowlands  cannot  invariably  supply, — 
and  a  temperature  changing  but  slightly  from  year  to  year.  When  a  grove  is 
started  in  the  primitive  forest,  many  of  the  large  trees  are  left  standing  to  give  the 
required  shade  ;  and  when  commenced  on  the  low  lands  where  there  are  no  trees, 
broad-leaved  plants,  like  the  banana,  are  planted  by  its  side  to  protect  from  the  sun. 
The  tree  naturally  attains  a  height  of  about  twenty  feet,  but  in  the  plantations  is 
pruned  down,  forming  with  its  straight,  horizontal  branches  a  beautiful  dome-shaped 
mass  of  green.  The  leaves  are  broad  and  glossy  green,  sometimes  concealing 
the  "berries,"  or  fruit,  which  cluster  along  the  slender  twigs  and  branches.  The 
coffee  is  shaped  like  a  small  bean,  and  two  of  these  beans  are  found  side  by  side, 
adhering  by  their  flat  surface,  enclosed  in  a  pulp  covered  by  an  outside  skin,  form- 
ing a  berry  the  size  of  a  cherry.  This  is  at  first  green,  but  ripens  into  a  bright  red 
when  it  is  gathered. 

A  coffee-plantation  in  these  upland  valleys  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  things  out 
of  doors.  Wide  straight  paths  are  opened  through  it,  above  which  are  the  dark- 
green  coffee-trees  gleaming  with  berries,  or  filling  the  air  with  perfumed  gales  from 
clouds  of  snowy  blossoms. 

If  there  is  one  production  over  another  that  has  especial  value  in  Mexico,  it  is  the 
coffee.  Nowhere  in  the  United  States  can  it  be  successfully  raised,  there  being  no 
suitable  combination  of  soil,  climate,  and  allitudt.-,  for  its  perfect  growth.  The  range 
of  the  coffee-plant  extends  only  between  the  isothermals  of  25°  north  and  30°  south 
of  the  equator,  and  it  cannot  be  successfully  grown  in  places  where  the  temperature 
is  ever  below  55°.  Hence  this  leaves  the  United  States  out  in  the  cold,  and  gives, 
in  the  Western  Hemisphere,  Mexico,  the  West  Indies,  and  a  great  portion  of  South 
America,  exclusive  control  of  coffee-cultivation. 

"  When  grown  at  the  extremes  of  climate,  it  is  small,  generally  much  lighter,  and 
the  actual  number  of  berries  is  far  less  than  that  grown  in  a  genial  climate.  Expe- 
rience has  proved  that  from  latitute  6°  to  12°  an  elevation  of  from  three  thousand 
to  four  thousand  feet  is  the  most  suited,  whilst  beyond  this,  five  hundred  feet  of 
elevation  should  be  allowed  for  every  degree  of  latitude."  Difference  in  locality  of 
production  has  little  to  do  with  the  flavor  of  coffee,  notwithstanding  a  general  belief 
to  the  contrary.  In  Mexico,  for  instance,  the  coffee  of  Colima  and  Michoacan  is  de- 
clared to  surpass  that  of  Cordova  and  Tabasco ;  but  this  superiority,  if  it  exists,  is 
owing  to  better  preparation  for  the  market,  or  curing,  and  perhaps  to  a  more  thorough 
cultivation.  The  quantity  of  rain,  says  one  writer,  is  found  to  exercise  a  material 
effect  upon  the  quality  of  the  crop,  and  a  dry  climate  produces  a  better  flavored 
and  more  "  colory  "  bean  than  that  where  excessive  moisture  prevails. 


26  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

The  coffee-tree,  savs  the  same  authority,  flourishes  in  hilly  districts,  where  its 
roots  can  be  kept  dry,  while  its  leaves  are  refreshed  with  frequent  showers. 

"  Rocky  ground,  with  rich,  decomposed  mould  in  the  fissures,  agrees  best  with  it. 
Though  it  would  grow  to  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  yet  it  is  usually  kept 
down  by  pruning  to  that  of  five  feet,  for  increasing  its  productiveness,  as  well  as 
for  the  convenience  of  cropping.  It  begins  to  yield  the  third  year,  but  is  not  gen- 
erally in  full  bearing  until  the  fifth.  In  coffee  husbandry,  the  plants  should  be 
placed  eight  feet  apart,  as  the  trees  throw  out  extensive  horizontal  branches." 
The  berry  must  not  be  picked  till  fully  ripe,  then  dried  in  the  sun,  with  the  pulp 
and  parchment  attached,  then  passed  between  wooden  rollers,  or  brayed  in  a  mortar, 
to  remove  the  dried  envelope,  and  winnowed. 

The  coffee-plants  should  be  first  started  in  a  nursery,  whence  they  are  trans- 
planted to  the  ground  assigned  for  the  grove,  and  during  their  early  years  protected 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun  by  bananas  and  plantains. 

Coffee  improves  in  aroma  by  keeping,  and  although  it  loses  in  weight,  it  gains 
in  color,  and  quality.  IMost  of  the  Mexican  coffee  is  sold  direct  from  the  planta- 
tions, and  is  not  allowed  to  arrive  at  that  perfect  state  acquired  by  the  "  Old  Gov- 
ernment "  Java,  which  possesses  a  spicy  aroma  the  light-colored  berries  do  not. 

In  the  opening  years  of  this  century,  coffee  was  not  very  extensively  cultivated  in 
Brazil,  but  that  country  supplies  to  the  United  States  the  greatest  proportion  used. 
"  The  first  cargo  of  coffee  from  Brazil  entered  at  the  port  of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  con- 
sisted of  1,522  bags.  In  1871,  the  United  States  consumed  316,609,765  pounds  of 
coffee,  244,809,600  pounds  of  which  came  from  Brazil,  27,776,000  from  Java,  Sumatra, 
etc.,  and  but  6,728,165  from  Central  American,  Mexican,  and  other  foreign  ports." 
In  1S74,  according  to  the  Consular  Report,  the  value  of  coffee  exported  from  Mexico 
to  the  United  States  was  $543,352 ;  the  amount  of  coffee  exported  from  Vera  Cruz, 
to  all  ports  in  1876,  was  $1,146,845.  For  the  year  ending  iSSo,  the  total  value  of 
coffee  export  from  Mexico,  was  $2,060,382.  To  show  the  great  value  of  the  coffee 
crop  to  us,  and  to  illustrate  the  growth  of  this  special  industry,  the  following  fig- 
ures are  appended,  obtained  from  the  United  States  consulate  in  Vera  Cruz.  Total 
amount  of  coffee  exported  from  Mexico  to  the  United  States  only,  from  March  31, 
1S76,  to  March  31,  18S1  :  — 

Year  ending  March  31,  1877 $660,68582 

Year  ending  March  31,  1878 1,320,612  58 

Year  ending  March  31,  1879 1,064,862  17 

Year  ending  March  31,  1S80 1,490,171  87 

Year  ending  March  31,  1881 1,289,716  16 

All  the  coast  states  of  Southern  Mexico,  on  both  the  Gulf  and  Pacific,  have  excel- 
lent soil  and  climate  for  the  growing  of  coffee ;  but  the  most  accessible  are  the 
Eastern,  and  the  coffee  region  of  Vera  Cruz  is  the  best  known,  while  portions  of 
Colima  and   Michoacan  may  contain  the  most  favored  combinations  for  success. 

Coffee  win  certainly  form  the  most  remunerative  of  Mexico's  agricultural  pro- 
ducts, as  there  is  a  vast  area  especially  adapted  to  its  culture,  which  lies  adjacent  to 
ports  connected  by  short  steam-lines  with  the  United  States,  and  penetrated  by  the 
great  railroads  running  southward. 


COFFEE   AND    COTTON.  2/ 

Cotton.  —  Spanish  Algodon,  from  Arabic  Alqoton,  indigenous  plant  of  Mexico, 
found  there  by  the  Spaniards.  Indians  clothed  with  cotton  garments  were  first  seen 
by  Columbus,  near  the  mainland,  off  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan,  in  1502,  nearly  two 
thousand  years  after  the  first  mention  of  cotton  fibre  by  Herodotus.  Traditions  are 
not  lacking  as  to  the  ancient  use  of  cotton  by  the  Toltecs  and  the  Aztecs,  the  date 
even  of  the  adoption  by  the  latter  tribe  of  cotton  garments  in  place  of  those  of  skin, 
being  entered  in  their  annals.  As  to  the  Toltecs,  it  was  entered  in^heir  sacred  book 
that  Quetzalcoatl,  god  of  the  air,  grew  cotton  of  all  colors  in  his  gardens,  and 
taught  them  its  many  uses.  Cotton  garments,  quilted  armor  of  cotton,  and  beauti- 
ful mantles  were  woven  by  the  Indians  of  the  plateaux  from  this  fibre.  The  breast- 
plates of  cotton  were  proof  against  Indian  arrows,  and  were  finally  adopted  by  the 
conquerors  themselves,  while  many  articles  of  apparel  were  often  woven  of  a  fine- 
ness and  almost  lustre  of  silk.  In  cotton  and  cacao  seeds  the  inhabitants  of  the 
lowlands,  such  as  had  not  gold  and  precious  stones,  paid  their  tribute  to  the  Aztec 
rulers.  Throughout  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  there  were,  even  as  at  the  present  day, 
primitive  looms,  and  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  was  among  the  first  industries, 
in  point  of  time,  as  it  is  now  in  importance,  in  that  country. 

The  original  home  of  cotton  being  in  the  tropical  zone,  no  one  can  say  that  this 
is  not  another  plant  native  to  the  soil  of  Mexico,  and  which,  like  maize,  may  have 
started  from  this  point,  and  have  been  carried  north  and  south.  Although  it  is 
within  the  century  past  that  cotton  has  acquired  importance  in  the  manufactures  of 
the  world,  yet  we  know  that  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  tropical  America,  the  more 
civilized  of  them,  were  acquainted  with  its  uses  at  least  five  hundred  years  ago. 

It  is  one  of  those  plants,  says  Humboldt,  of  which  the  cultivation  was  as  an- 
cient among  the  Aztecs  as  that  of  the  maize  and  the  maguey.  Cotton  thrives  only 
where  the  winter  months  are  without  rain,  says  Sartorius.  The  districts  of  Tlacotal- 
pam,  Cuzamalopan,  and  Tustla,  in  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  coast  of  Yucatan, 
])roduce  the  best  cotton  on  the  east  side.  It  is  cultivated  in  only  twelve  States  of  the 
Republic,  and  the  amount  produced  is  not  sufficient  for  home  consumption,  large 
quantities  being  imported  from  the  United  States.  There  is  little  doubt  that  vast 
tracts  of  uncultivated  land  exist  which  could  be  made  to  yield  bountiful  crops  of 
cotton,  such  as  the  extensive  plains  of  the  south  of  Michoacan,  the  district  of  Mina, 
in  Guerrero,  the  savannas  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  extraordinarily  fertile  country  about  the 
laguna  of  Tlahualila,  and  the  so-called  desert  region  of  Chihuahua.  Every  year  in- 
creases the  importance  of  cotton-raising  in  Mexico,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  vast  tracts  of  land  hitherto  inaccessible,  and  rendered  unsafe  through  tte 
presence  of  hostile  Indians,  are  being  opened  to  immigration  by  the  railroads. 
Regarding  the  prospect  of  profitable  results  from  engaging  in  cotton-raising,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  advise,  since  skill,  experience,  and  capital  are  required  in  this 
industry ;  but  there  is  certainly  a  large  demand  for  cotton,  which  it  will  take  our 
railroads  yet  some  years  to  satisfy. 

Yucatan,  Tabasco,  Chiapas,  Vera  Cruz,  and  Durango  are  the  principal  cotton- 
growing  states.  To  these  Consul-General  Strother,  in  his  official  report,  adds  Guer- 
rero, Colima,  Oaxaca,  Chihuahua,  Sinaloa,  Sonora,  Jalisco,  Michoacan,  and  Coahuila. 

The  annual  production  of  Coahuila  he  estimates  at  3,000,000  pounds.  "  In  the 
'Laguna  Country'  cotton  is  perennial,  and  does  not  require  to  be  planted  oftener 
than  once  in  ten  years."  This  district,  containing  about  1,200,000  acres,  lies  partly 
in  Coahuila  and  partly  in  Durango,  is  of  extraordinary  fertility,  and  well  adapted  to 


28  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

cotton,  but  is  very  little  cultivated,  and  the  cotton  product  is  diminishing  yearly. 
Durango's  cotton  crop  he  estimates  at  4,000,000  pounds  yearly,  that  of  Sinaloa 
at  1,700,000  and  of  Sonora  at  1,000,000  pounds.  The  cotton-belt  of  Mexico  is  not 
so  well-defined  as  that  of  the  United  States,  depending  more  upon  altitude  than 
latitude ;  but  it  is  not  so  broad  that  cotton  will  ever  become  an  important  article  of 
export.  In  fact,  the  best  goods  manufactured  for  Mexico  are  from  cotton  of  the 
United  States,  iniported  at  Vera  Cruz  from  New  Orleans,  and,  in  some  instances, 
transported  on  mule-back  hundreds  of  miles  into  the  interior. 

And  this  is  notwithstanding  the  enormous  yield,  in  iS3o,  estimated  at  25,177,760 
kilograms,  valued  at  $6,605,831. 

Ileneqiien,  or  Sisal  Hemp  {Agave  Sisalensis})  —  From  an  official  report  published 
in  Merida,  capital  of  Yucatan,  in  1876,  it  appears  that  the  peninsula  produced,  in 
that  year,  fibre  to  the  amount  of  22,000,000  pounds,  the  largest  part  of  which  (about 
10,000,000)  was  exported  in  the  shape  of  hemp  to  New  York,  London,  and  New 
Orleans,  and  the  Kpst  shipped  manufactured  to  Cuba  and  the  Mexican  ports.  Tak- 
ing one  and  a  quarter  pound  of  fibre  as  the  average  yearly  production  of  each  plant, 
it  was  estimated  that  there  was  at  that  time  more  than  18,000,000  plants  under  cul- 
tivation, keeping  in  operation  over  420  scraping-wheels,  moved  by  229  steam-engines, 
with  a  total  of  1,733  horse-power,  and  30  wheels  moved  by  animal  power.  Each 
wheel  cleans  daily,  on  an  average,  300  pounds  of  fibre,  working  but  half  the  year. 

"For  some  time  after  the  cultivation  of  hemp  —  henequen — was  seriously  under- 
taken by  the  planters  of  Yucatan  (notwithstanding  the  invention  of  the  'fibre-clean- 
er,' and  the  cheapness  of  wages  for  laborers  that  obtained),  the  merchants  of  that 
section  encountered  many  obstacles  in  introducing  the  staple  in  the  markets  of  the 
world.  "  For  the  numberless  farms  of  Russia  still  produced  their  vast  quantities  of 
that  hemp  from  which  is  manufactured  the  stout  cordage  so  highly  esteemed  by  the 
mariners  of  the  civilized  world,  while  on  the  arid  plains  of  India  the  Manila  fibre, 
so  highly  rated  for  its  flexibility  and  utility  in  the  manufacture  of  rope  for  the  run- 
ning rigging  of  ships,  flourished  in  luxuriant  abundance,  and  to-day  is  the  greatest 
rival  of  the  Southern  henequen. 

"  But  in  1854  the  war  waged  by  France,  England,  and  Sardinia  against  the  empire 
of  Russia  terminated  for  some  time  the  traffic  in  hemp,  so  important  to  that  empire. 
The  merchants  and  factors  of  Yucatan  took  advantage  of  this  event  to  introduce 
their  staple  into  the  markets  of  Europe.  It  was  utilized  by  the  English  and  French 
in  the  manufacture  of  cordage  and  ropes,  nor  was  it  long  before  the  discovery  was 
made  that  the  proportion  of  one-fourth  Manila  fibre  with  three-fourths  henequen 
made  excellent  rope,  sufficiently  flexible  for  all  practicable  purposes,  but  at  the 
same  time  considerably  cheaper  than  cordage  composed  of  Manila  alone.  Thus  a 
great  impetus  was  given  to  the  culture  of  henequen  in  Yucatan.  Thousands  of 
acres  of  stony  land,  so  sterile  as  to  unfit  it  for  the  cultivation  of  corn  or  vegetables, 
were  immediately  utilized  in  the  culture  of  Yucatan's  only  staple.  Men  who  were 
looked  upon  as  the  unfortunate  owners  of  leagues  of  desert  wastes,  by  the  planting 
of  the  henequen,  in  the  course  of  six  or  seven  years  became  wealthy  personages,  for 
each  plant  on  their  farms  yielded  them  an  income  of  ten  cents  per  year,  even  when 
the  price  of  the  precious  fibre  ruled  low.  For  some  years  after  the  Russian  war 
the  price  of  henequen  averaged  about  seven  cents  per  pound,  while  the  principal 

'  See  "  Travels  in  Mexico,"  chap.  iv. 


HEXEQUEX,   OR   SISAL   HEMP.  29 

markets  where  it  was  consumed  were  New  York  and  Liverpool,  Antwerp  and 
Hamburg.  But  in  1872  the  price  of  the  staple  fell,  and  fluttered  from  five  cents  to 
six  and  six  and  a  quarter  cents  per  pound.  In  1S78  the  price  dropped  as  low  as 
four  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  and  then  the  unhappy  planters  lamented  their  hard 
fate  in  the  depreciation  of  a  staple  that  paid  them  for  its  cultivation  some  ten  or 
twelve  per  cent  at  this  low  price  clear  of  all  expenses  on  the  value  of  their  farms, 
as  assessed  by  them  when  the  price  ruled  as  high  as  eight  and  nine  cents  per  pound, 
and  when  they  were  gaining  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent  on  the  capital  invested. 

"  Even  now,  when  the  price  is  from  five  and  a  half  to  six  cents  per  pound,  the  cul- 
tivation of  henequen  is  a  most  profitable  investment  for  capital.  Labor  rules  at 
from  six  to  eight  dollars  per  month,  while  the  system  of  peonage  that  obtains  in 
Yucatan  is  still  more  oppressive  and  more  degrading  even  than  in  Mexico." 

From  statistics  furnished  the  writer  by  United  States  Consul  Ayme,  at  Merida, 
Yucatan,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  henequen  industry  is  assuming  vast  and  unexpected 
proportions:  — 

Values  to  all  places :  1S80,  $1,805,848.18;  1881,  $2,774,166.88,  increase  over  pre- 
vious year,  $969,318.70 ;  1S82,  $2,729,556.07,  decrease  from  previous  year,  $44,610.81. 

Bales  to  the  United  States:  1880,  85,434;  1881,  116,209;  1S82,  109,867. 

Bales  to  Europe:  1880,  11,917;  1881,  23,424;  1882,  25,216. 

Three  thousand  bales  were  burned  at  Progreso  in  18S1,  of  which  2,481  were 
destined  for  the  United  States,  and  519  for  Europe.  The  noticeable  features  are, 
for  three  years:  a  great  increase  in  exportations  in  1881  over  18S0;  a  considerable 
decrease  in  18S2  from  1S81.  But  while  the  percentage  of  increase  in  number  of 
bales  in  1881  was  about  40  per  cent  for  the  United  States,  the  European  imports 
were  over  100  per  cent  greater,  and  in  1882  the  whole  decrease  fell  on  the  United 
States,  while  Europe  increased  her  imports,  still  further  lowering  our  amount. 

Indigo,  which  was  once  a  special  product  of  Mexican  soil,  has  declined  in  impor- 
tance, like  cochineal,  until  it  is  no  longer  profitable  to  engage  in  its  cultivation.  The 
total  amount  for  1880  is  given  at  $358,000. 

Cochineal,  which  was  formerly  raised  and  exported  to  the  amount  of  over  $2,000,- 
000  annually,  has  no  longer  a  value  that  will  tempt  the  cultivator  in  Mexico  other 
than  the  patient  Indian,  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  cochineal  raisers,  to  attempt 
its  difficult,  though  fascinating,  culture.  These  two  industries  are  very  evidently 
relegated  to  the  things  of  the  past. 

Maize  2.x\A  Wheat.  —  Indian  corn,  or  maize,  was  probably  the  only  cereal  origin- 
ally possessed  by  the  Mexicans,  but  all  the  grains  of  Europe  have  been  successfully 
introduced.  Maize  grows  everywhere  from  coast  to  mountain-top ;  wheat  and  bar- 
ley only  in  the  colder  regions :  but  all  flourish  here,  and  yield  abundant  harvests. 

Columbus,  in  his  first  voyage,  in  1492,  discovered  corn  in  use  by  the  Indians  of 
Cuba,  and  afterwards  by  those  of  Haiti.  "  Among  the  trophies  of  the  New  World 
that  this  great  navigator  laid  at  the  feet  of  his  sovereigns,  on  returning  from  this 
remarkable  voyage  to  the  unknown  country,  were  a  few  ears  of  maize,  or  '  Indian 
corn.'  Neglected  were  they  amongst  the  mass  of  rich  plunder  —  gold,  gems,  and 
strange  copper-skinned  captives  —  that  greeted  the  eyes  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella; 
but  the  golden  ears  were  of  far  more  value  to  the  world  than  all  the  treasure  that 
subsequently  flowed  into  their  coffers  from  New  Spain." 

The  spread  of  the  wonderful  grain  was  rapid,  and  that  which  had  hitherto  con- 
stituted the  chief  food  of  the  American  Indian  was  soon  all  over  Europe,  Asia,  and 


30  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Africa.  A  thousand  years  before  our  country  acquired  a  name,  the  Indians  of 
Mexico  cultivated  this  precious  cereal.  At  the  present  day,  even,  it  is  almost  their 
sole  support. 

On  the  discovery  of  America  by  Europeans,  says  Humboldt,  the  zea  maiz  [tlaolli 
in  the  Aztec,  niahiz  in  the  Haytian)  was  cultivated  from  the  most  southern  part  of 
Chili  to  Pennsylvania  (much  farther  north  even  than  that). 

Maize,  or  Indian  corn,  is  certainly  of  tropical  birth.  Its  broad,  clinging  leaves, 
its  tall,  tassel-crowned  form,  and  luxuriant  growth,  all  proclaim  it  as  a  native  of  the 
tropics.  The  home  of  the  maize  is  undoubtedly  the  Mexican  plateau.  Either  there 
or  on  the  equally  elevated  plains  of  Peru,  Indian  corn  had  its  birth.  There  it  finds 
the  necessary  union  of  hot  "growing  "  days  with  cool,  moist  nights. 

In  a  journey  through  the  Indian  hill-towns  of  Southern  Mexico,  the  writer  has 
ridden  for  days  through  successive  valleys  filled  with  maize,  where  the  villages  were 
entirely  hidden  in  vast  fields,  and  where  the  great  stalks  with  their  waving  tassels, 
like  the  feathered  crests  of  warriors  of  old,  reached  the  height  of  fifteen  feet. 
Humboldt  esteemed  the  cerealia  of  Mexico  far  ahead  of  that  of  Europe  in  point  of 
productiveness,  and  Mr.  Ward,  British  minister  to  Mexico,  sixty  years  ago,  wrote  : 
"  There  are  few  parts,  either  of  the  tierra  caliente  or  of  the  table-land,  in  which 
maize  is  not  cultivated  with  success.  In  the  low  hot  grounds  upon  the  coast,  and 
on  the  slope  of  the  cordillera,  its  growth  is  more  colossal  than  on  the  table-land ; 
but  even  there,  at  7,000  and  8,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  its  fecundity  is 
such  as  will  hardly  be  credited  in  Europe." 

The  estimated  product  of  maize  in  Mexico  for  the  year  ending  1S80  was  5,309,- 
563,939  kilograms  ;  in  value,  $112,164,424. 

The  first  wheat  in  Mexico  was  accidentally  introduced,  it  is  believed,  in  some 
rice  brought  with  the  stores  of  the  Spanish  army,  and  was  first  planted  before 
1530.  From  that  humble  beginning,  the  wheat  crop  of  Mexico  has  steadily  in- 
creased, until  at  the  present  day,  this  cereal  finds  congenial  surroundings  every- 
where on  the  plateaus.  The  Mexican  wheat,  according  to  Humboldt,  "  is  of  the 
very  best  quality,  and  may  be  compared  with  the  finest  Andalusian  grain."  Regard- 
ing the  yield,  he  further  says,  speaking  of  the  principal  great  valleys  of  Mexico, 
"  At  Cholula,  the  common  harvest  is  from  30  to  40,  but  frequently  exceeds  70  to  80, 
for  one.  In  the  Valley  of  Mexico  maize  yields  200,  and  wheat  18  or  20  fold.  In 
the  northern  part  of  Mexico,  he  estimated  the  return  as  lower;  yet  where  irrigation 
is  practised,  as  in  California  and  Arizona,  former  provinces  of  New  Spain,  or 
Mexico,  the  result  has  been  astonishing. 

The  estimated  production  for  1880,  throughout  Mexico,  was  338,704,093  kilo- 
grams, valued  at  $17,436,345.  Fine  flour  is  ground  in  Mexico,  but  not  equal  to  the 
American,  which  sells  largely,  notwithstanding  an  almost  prohibitory  duty. 

The  straw  of  the  various  grains  was  worth,  it  is  said,  above  $1,500,000. 

The  wheat  is  threshed  in  the  primitive  manner  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  with 
horses  to  tread  it  out,  on  a  floor  of  pounded  earth. 

Rice,  sarsaparilla,  and  vanilla.  —  The  rice  product  of  Mexico  amounted  to  above 
$1,200,000  in  1S80;  yet  the  extent  to  which  it  is  cultivated  is  not  great,  owing  to  the 
unhealthiness  of  localities  where  it  flourishes. 

Two  wild  vines,  both  of  which  are  indigenous  to  Mexico,  the  sarsaparilla  and 
the  vanilla,  contribute  to  the  enrichment  of  the  natives  of  the  hot  country.  The 
vanilla,  with  the  rich,  aromatic  fruitage,  and  spicy  blossoms,  is  found  growing  in 


CORA-,    WHEAT,    AND    SUGAR-CANE.  3 1 

the  tropical  forests  of  Vera  Cruz  and  Tobasco.  It  is  carefully  cherished,  requiring 
skill  and  acquaintance  with  its  habits  for  successful  results,  and  its  fruit  yields 
above  half  a  million  dollars  annual  returns. 

Sugar  cane.  —  Three  varieties  of  cane  are  planted  in  the  Republic,  known  as  the 
Castilian,  Havana,  and  Otaheite.  The  first  is  not  so  full  of  juice  as  the  others, 
but  is  more  abundant  in  saccharine  matter;  the  mixture  of  the  three  produces  the 
best  results  in  the  manufacture  of  the  sugar.  The  tien-as  calientes  are  especially 
adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  the  cane,  and  the  plantations  and  the  amount  of 
improved  machinery  are  increasing  yearly.  The  methods  of  culture,  and  the 
processes  for  crushing  the  cane,  and  crystallization  of  the  juice,  are  the  same  as 
those  followed  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico.  The  plantations  are  of  great  area,  some 
producing  from  2,000,000  to  3,000,000  pounds  of  sugar  annually.  The  largest  are 
situated  in- the  states  of  Morelos,  Jalisco,  Vera  Cruz,  Oaxaca,  Puebla  and  Yucatan. 

Sugar-cane  was  an  importation  of  the  Spaniards,  the  Mexican-Indians  extracting 
sweets  only  from  the  native  honey,  from  the  agave,  which  juice  they  called  inetl, 
and  from  the  saccharine  pith  of  the  maize.  It  was  brought  into  Mexico  from  the 
Canary  Islands,  by  way  of  the  West  Indies ;  for  the  Spaniards  planted  cane  in 
San  Domingo  as  far  back  as  1520. 

As  early  as  1553,  sugar  was  exported  from  Mexico,  from  the  ports  of  Vera  Cruz 
and  Acajjulco,  into  Spain  and  Peru.  In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  according  to 
Humboldt,  several  million  of  pounds  were  annually  exported  at  Vera  Cruz.  He 
also  estimated  the  rich  soil  of  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz  as  being  capable  of  produc- 
ing twice  the  product  of  cane  per  acre  as  that  of  Cuba ;  and  Ward  (another 
authority),  pronounced  the  same  state  able  to  supply  sugar  to  all  Europe.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  these  predictions,  Mexico  has  never  realized  the  hopes  of  her  friends  in 
this  direction.  Either  the  native  Indian  element  has  developed  a  liking  for  sweets 
that  their  early  task-masters  would  not  allow  them  previously  to  indulge,  when 
Mexico  exported  sugar  to  other  Spanish  colonies;  or  the  foreign  element  aids 
largely  in  its  consumption;  for  sugar  does  not  figure  largely  in  the  list  of  exports. 
Indeed,  there  is  not  enough  produced  for  home-consumption.  And  it  may  be  added 
that,  as  IVTexico's  population  develops  a  taste  for  the  luxuries  of  life,  as  it  is  con- 
stantly augmented  by  accessions  from  the  United  States  and  Europe,  the  demand 
for  sugar  will  so  increase  that  it  will  be  imported  to  a  considerable  extent.  Protec- 
tive duties  now  serve  to  keep  out  American  sugar  (especially  the  refined  grades), 
which  sells  in  Mexico  at  high  prices.  Perhaps  the  radical  reason  for  the  inability 
of  Mexico's  sugar-plantations  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand  is,  that  the  area 
suitable  for  cane-cultivation  is  necessarily  restricted.  The  plantations  are  not  all 
of  them  situated  in  the  unhealthy  hot  lands,  as  cane  can  be  raised  in  the  tierra 
tcmplada,  as  high  as  four  thousand  feet,  and  where  the  only  fevers  are  the  relatively 
mild  intermittents ;  in  truth,  the  finest  and  most  beautiful  haciendas  that  the  writer 
can  call  to  mind,  many  of  which  he  visited,  are  in  a  region  very  salubrious,  though 
of  course,  hot.  Thos»  of  Oaxaca,  which  are  quite  productive,  are  in  a  valley  quite 
temperate  in  character,  and  near  the  healthful  capital  of  the  state.  But  the  super- 
ficial configuration  of  the  Mexican  territory,  notably  rough  and  mountainous, 
forbids  any  extent  of  fertile  valleys,  in  the  rich  mould  of  which  alone  the  cane  will 
grow  to  perfection.  Mexico  can,  undoubtedly,  raise  a  much  greater  quantity  of 
sugar  than  she  does  now,  when  settled  peace  shall  have  given  her  planters  an 
opportunity  to  rebuild  mills  destroved  by  revolutionists,  and  to  bring  into  cultivation 
thousands  of  acres  which  have  been  neglected  from  the  same  cause. 


^2  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Another  factor  in  successful  cane-raising,  which  is  all-important  in  Mexico,  is 
water;  and  unless  the  present  irrigation  facilities  can  be  extended  in  some  remark- 
able manner,  the  sugar  product  will  never  reach  a  point  to  admit  of  exportation  to 
other  countries.  The  estimated  yield  for  iS8o,  was  70,000,000  kilograms,  valued 
at  $8,716,000.  Of  the  2,019,823,614  pounds  of  sugar,  imported  into  the  United 
States  in  the  three  years  ending  June  3Dth,  1880,  only  1,792,171  pounds  came  from 
Mexico,  less  than  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent.' 

Tobacco.  —  Indigenous  to  Mexico  at  the  time  the  Spaniards  first  set  foot  upon  its 
soil,  was  a  plant  which  has  since  become  famous  throughout  the  world,  tobacco, 
called  yctl  by  the  Aztecs,  and  used  by  them  as  a  mild  narcotic.  We  have  only  to 
turn  to  the  history  of  that  country  to  find  that  the  lords  of  Montezuma's  court,  and 
even  the  great  chieftain  himself,  used  it  after  their  repasts,  daintily  smoking  it 
through  amber  tubes,  and  finding  it  especially  grateful  for  the  midday  siesta.  Mex- 
ico may  never,  perhaps,  take  rank  with  Cuba  as  a  tobacco-producing  country,  but 
within  her  borders,  especially  on  the  confines  of  the  tierra  calientc  of  the  east  coast, 
there  is  a  soil  particularly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  plant,  and  an  atmosphere 
and  temperature  favorable  for  ripening  and  curing  it.  The  tobacco  of  Vera  Cruz 
is  rapidly  winning  its  way  to  favor,  and  when  sufficient  care  shall  have  been  exer- 
cised in  the  manufacture  of  Mexican  cigars,  they  will,  in  all  probability,  compete 
successfully  with  the  Havanas.  The  region  about  Cordova  has  long  been  cele- 
brated for  its  tobacco,  which  has  yielded  a  large  revenue  to  viceroys  and  other 
rulers  of  Mexico  for  two  or  three  centuries.  The  production  of  18S0  is  given  as 
7,504,990  kilograms,  having  a  value  in  Mexico  of  $2,000,000. 

I  See  "  Commerce  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,"  Washington,  1S84. 


MINES   AND    MINING. 


MINERAL    REGIONS    OF    MEXICO. 


33 


"Mex'co,"  says  Lyell,  "originally  consisted  of  granitic  ranges,  with  intervening 
valleys,  subsequently  filled  up  to  the  level  of  the  plateaus  by  subterranean  erup- 
tions, as  igneous  rocks  of  every  geologic  epoch  to  a  large  extent  form  the  super- 
structure of  the  central  plateau.  The  most  elevated  regions  are  composed,  espe- 
cially the  high  ranges,  of  plutonic  and  volcanic  rocks,  although  a  great  portion 
of  the  plateau  is  metamorphic,  and  contains  the  greatest  variety  of  ores."  Says 
another  authority:  "A  line  drawn  from  the  capital  to  Guanajuato,  and  thence 
northward  to  the  southwestern  point  of  Chihuahua,  and  southward  to  Oaxaca,  thus 
cutting  the  main  axis  of  upheaval  at  an  angle  of  45°,  will  intersect  probably  the 
richest  known  argentiferous  region  in  the  wliole  world !  " 

In  a  genera]  way  it  may  be  said  that  a  metalliferous  vein  runs  through  the  entire 
Cordillera  of  Mexico,  extending  from  the  mines  of  the  Sierra  Madre  in  Sonora, — 
in  the  far  northwest,  —  to  the  gold-deposits  of  Oa.xaca,  in  the  extreme  south.  The 
mineral  districts  most  distinguished  for  their  productions  of  silver  and  gold  are 
those  of  Guanajuato,  Zacatecas,  Fresnillo,  Real  del  Monte,  Pachuca,  Catorce,  Tasco, 
and  Oaxaca. 

As  the  relative  importance  of  mines  is  largely  due  to  their  proximity  to  great 
centres  of  population,  the  mines  of  Pachuca,  —  including  those  of  Real  del  Monte, 
Chico,  Capula,  Santa  Rosa,  etc., — should  fi!-st  claim  attention,  being  distant  from 
the  capital  less  than  seventy  miles.  This  group,  in  the  State  of  Hidalgo,  covers  an 
area  of  twenty-five  kilometres  from  north  to  south,  and  thirty-three  from  east  to 
west.  A  second  cluster  is  that  of  the  district  of  Tasco,  and  those  of  Zacualpan, 
Sultepec,  Angangeo,  Tlalpujahua,  and  Zimapan.  These  groups,  with  those  of 
Oaxaca,  describe  a  circuit  round  about  the  City  of  Mexico,  though  open  towards 
the  east  with  a  radius  of  about  two  hundred  kilometres. 

The  districts  of  Guanajuato  and  Zacatecas  form  two  groups,  important  for 
their  numerous  and  industrious  population.  An  offshoot  from  the  main  cordillera  is 
the  district  of  Catorce,  north  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  The  states  of  Sonora,  Oaxaca, 
Michoacan,  Chihuahua,  and  Guerrero,  abound  not  only  in  the  precious  metals,  but 
in  copper,  iron,  lead,  zinc,  etc.  The  most  notable  of  these  are  the  hills  of  iron  in 
Durango  and  Oaxaca,  and  the  copper  found  in  Michoacan,  and  Chihuahua. 
Humboldt  divided  the  Mexican  mines  into  eight  groups :  the  first,  and  most 
considerable,  includes  the  almost  contiguous  districts  of  Guanajuato,  San  Luis 
Potosi,  Catorce,  Fresnillo,  and  Sombrerete ;  those  to  the  west  of  Durango  and 
Sinaloa  form  the  second;  the  third  group  comprehends  the  mines  of  Chihuahua, 
and  is  the  most  northern  ;  northwest  of  Mexico  City  lies  the  Real  del  Monte  or 
Pachuca;  those  of  Zimapan  or  el  Doctor,  the  fifth;  Boianos,  in  Guadelajara, 
is  the  central  point  of  the  sixth ;  Tasco,  of  the  seventh,  and  the  mines  of  Oaxaca 
the  eighth. 

That  part  of  the  Mexican  mountains  containing  the  greatest  quantity  of  silver 
lies  between  the  parallels  of  21°  and  24°  30'  north  latitude. 

"  It  is  remarkable,"  says  Humboldt,  (then,  of  course,  being  ignorant  of  the  vast 
deposits  of  Nevada  and  Arizona),  "  that  the  metallic  wealth  of  Mexico  and  Peru 
should  be  placed  at  an  almost  equal  distance,  in  either  hemisphere,  from  the 
equator." 


34  MEXICAiV  Jx'ESOURCES. 


HISTORY    OF    MEXICAN    MINES. 

"  The  mountains  of  Anahuac,"  wrote  the  celebrated  historian  Clavigero,  a  century 
ago,  "abound  in  ores  of  eyery  kind  of  metal.  The  Mexicans  found  gold  in  the 
countries  of  the.  Cohuixcas,  the  Miztecs,  the  Zapotecs  and  several  others.  They 
gathered  it  chiefly  in  grains  amongst  the  sands  of  the  rivers,  and  the  above  men- 
tioned people  paid  a  certain  quantity  in  tribute  to  the  crown  of  Mexico.  Silver 
was  dug  out  of  the  mines  of  Tlachco  and  Tzompanco.  Of  copper  they  had  two 
sorts,  —  one  hard,  which  they  used  instead  of  iron  to  make  axes,  mattocks,  and 
other  instruments  of  war  and  agriculture ;  the  other  flexible  for  the  making  of 
basins  and  other  vessels.  This  metal  abounded  formerly  in  the  provinces  of 
Zacatollan  and  the  Cohuixchas ;  at  present  it  is  found  in  the  kingdom  of  Michoacan. 

They  dug  tin  from  the  mines  of  Tlachco,  and  lead  from  the  mines  of  Izmiquilpan, 
a  place  in  the  country  of  the  Otomies.  Of  tin  they  made  money,  and  they  sold  lead 
in  the  market ;  there  were  likewise  mines  of  iron  in  Tlascala,  in  Tlachco  (Tlasco) 
and  other  places;  but  they  either  did  not  find  out  these  mines,  —  or,  at  least  did 
not  know  how  to  benefit  themselves  by  the  discovery.  Mines  of  quicksilver  they 
had  in  Chilapan,  and  in  many  places  mines  of  sulphur,  alum,  vitriol,  cinnabar, 
ochre,  and  a  white  earth  strongly  resembling  white  lead.  Of  amber  and  asphaltum, 
there  was,  and  still  is,  a  great  abundance  on  both  coasts,  and  they  were  both  paid 
in  tribute  to  the  king  of  Mexico  from  many  places  of  the  empire.  With  respect  to 
precious  stones,  there  were,  and  still  are,  diamonds,  though  few  in  number ;  ame- 
thysts, cats-eyes,  turquoises,  cornelians,  and  some  green  stones,  resembling  emeralds 
[Chalchiuith) ;  and  of  all  these  stones  the  Miztecs,  Zapotecs,  and  Cohuixcas,  in 
whose  mountains  they  were  found,  paid  a  tribute  to  the  king.  The  mountains 
which  lie  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  between  the  port  of  Vera  Cruz  and 
the  river  Coatzacoalco,  namely,  those  of  Chinantla,  furnished  them  with  crystal. 
There  were  quarries  of  jasper,  and  marble  of  different  colors,  in  the  mountains 
of  Calpolalpan,  to  the  east  of  Mexico,  in  the  Monte  de  las  Cruces,  and  in  the 
Zapotec  couutry ;  of  alabaster  (Mexican  onyx)  in  Tecalco  (now  Tecale)  State  of 
Puebla,  and  in  the  country  of  the  Miztecs ;  of  tezontli,  in  the  vale  of  Mexico  itself, 
and  in  many  other  places  of  the  empire.  There  are,  besides,  mountains  of  load- 
stone (magnetic  iron),  of  the  Quitzalitztli,  or  nephritic  stone ;  the  Mexicans  formed 
various  and  curious  figures ;  ChimaltizatI,  which  is  a  kind  of  talc,  on  calcination, 
gives  a  fine  plaster,  which  the  Mexicans  used  to  whiten  their  paintings ;  the  Mez- 
cuitlatl  was  the  opal,  very  abundant.  But  no  stone  was  more  common  with  the 
Mexicans,  than  ^le  itztli,  or  obsidian,  of  w'hich  they  made  mirrors,  knives,  etc." 

That  the  ancient  Toltecs  and  Aztecs  obtained  gold  and  silver,  not  only  from  the 
beds  of  mountain  torrents  and  the  auriferous  sands  of  the  coast  streams,  but  from 
shafts  and  galleries  sunk  at  great  expense  of  time  and  toil,  we  have»abundant  proof. 
Like  the  native  of  Peru,  they  worked  mines  that  dated  their  origin  from  a  period 
so  remote  that  no  man  knew  when  they  were  begun.  The  abundance  of  gold  and 
silver  vessels  and  bars  of  the  precious  metals  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards  proves  the  above  statement,  aside  from  their  own  historic  records. 
They  possessed,  besides  gems,  also  cinnabar,  lead,  tin,  and  copper.  The  southern 
provinces  paid  tribute,  not  only  in  the  peculiar  products  of  their  fields  and  forests, 
but  in  golden  grains,  as  found  in  the  rivers,  and  cast  into  bars,  and  wonderfully 
wrought  ornaments. 


ANCIENT   MINES    OF    THE    AZTECS.  35 

Fortunately  for  the  seeker  after  early  statistics,  we  have  an  account  of  the  ancient 
sources  of  wealth  of  the  Aztecs  in  the  letters  of  the  conqueror  himself;  for  Cortes 
wrote  an  explicit  account  of  them  to  his  sovereign.  After  getting  Montezuma  into 
his  power,  in  the  vear  1520,  he  obtained  from  the  Aztec  ruler  a  list  of  all  his  mines. 
The  account  cannot  be  better  rendered  than  in  his  own  words :  "  When  I  discovered 
that  Montezuma  was  fully  devoted  to  your  Highness,  I  requested  him  that,  in 
order  to  enable  me  to  render  a  complete  account  to  your  Majesty  of  the  produc- 
tions of  the  countr}',  he  would  point  out  to  me  the  mines  from  which  gold  was 
obtained,  to  which  he  consented  with  the  greatest  readiness.  He  immediately  sent 
for  several  of  his  public  servants,  and  assigned  them  to  four  provinces,  two  to 
each,  in  which  he  said  the  gold  was  obtained,  and  he  asked  me  to  allow  some  of 
the  Spaniards  to  go  with  them  that  they  might  observe  the  manner  in  which  gold 
was  procured,  and  I  accordingly  deputed  two  Spaniards  for  the  same  number  of  his 
own  men.  One  party  of  them  v.ent  to  a  province  called  Cuzula,  eighty  leagues 
from  the  great  city  of  Temixtitlan  (Mexico),  whose  inhabitants  are  vassals  of 
Montezuma,  where  they  were  shown  three  rivers,  from  all  of  which  they  brought 
me  specimens  of  gold  of  a  good  quality,  though  procured  with  little  trouble,  and 
without  any  other  instruments  than  those  used  by  the  Indians.  .  .  .  Another 
party  of  our  envoys  went  to  a  province  called  Malinaltebeque,  which  is  seventy 
leagues  from  the  great  city,  but  more  towards  the  seacoast.  They  brought  me . 
specimens  of  gold  from  a  great  river  that  passes  through  it.  The  other  party 
visited  a  region  beyond  this  river,  inhabited  by  a  people  speaking  a  different 
language  from  those  of  Culua  (Mexico),  and  whose  territory  is  situated  on  a  lofty 
and  rough  mountainous  range,  with  a  jiopulation  inured  to  war,  who  fight  with 
spears  of  twenty-five  to  thirty  palms'  length ;  he  is  independent  of  Montezuma. 
.  .  .  .  He  would  not  admit  the  subjects  of  Montezuma,  but  allowed  the  Span- 
iards to  enter,  and  showed  them  seven  or  eight  mines,  from  which  they  said  gold 
was  procured ;  and  in  their  presence  some  of  the  Indians  got  out  a  quantity  of  the 

precious  metal,  of  which  specimens  were  brought  to  me The  other 

party  of  envoys  visited  a  province  called  Tuchitebeque,  on  the  same  route,  towards 
the  sea,  twelve  leagues  from  the  province  of  Malinaltebeque,  where,  I  have  already 
said,  gold  was  found,  and  where  they  were  shown  two  other  streams,  from  which 
they  obtained  gold." 

The  first  silver  sent  from  the  mines  of  New  Spain  was  obtained  from  those 
of  Tasco,  discovered  in  the  year  1522.  These  mines,  with  those  of  Pachuca,  are 
considered  the  oldest  in  Mexico,  some  of  them  having  been  long  worked  by  the 
Indians  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards.  The  amount  of  gold  and 
silver  obtained  from  Montezuma  and  sent  to  Spain  is  estimated  at  $7,000,000.  This 
includes  the  household  treasures  of  Axayacatl,  his  royal  father,  the  accumulation, 
probably,  of  many  years. 

"The  working  of  the  mines  of  Zacatecas,"  says  Humboldt,  "followed  closely 
after;  one,  the  vein  of  San  Barnabe,  was  begun  in  1540,  but  twenty-eight  years 
after  the  death  of  Montezuma.  The  principal  vein  of  Guanajuato  (/«  Veta  Madre) 
was_Jliaepvered  somewhat  later,  in  April,  1558.  'ihe  dates  of  discovery^f  the 
most  important  Mexican  veins,  are  as  follows:  Parral,  in  1600;  Cieneguilla,  1608; 
Guazapares,  162S;  Urique,  1630;  Batopilas,  1632;  Cusihuiriachic,  1666;  Chi- 
huahuilla,  1671  ;  Santa  Eulalia,  1704;  Topago,  1750;  San  Joaquin,  1774;  Umapa, 
177S;    El    Refugio,    1810;    Jesus   Maria,    1821 ;    Palmares,    1824;    Morelos,    1S26; 


36  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Setentrian,  1S29;  Batougachic,  1S39;  Santo  Domingo,  1S67  ;  Guadaloupe,  1S69; 
Zapuri,  1S73. 

There  were,  by  the  calculation  of  Humboldt,  at  the  opening  of  this  century,  five 
hundred  places  [reales,  or  realitos),  celebrated  for  their  mines,  comprehending 
nearly  five  thousand  mines  {mhias),  or  separate  excavations.  The  principal  reales 
were:  —  Guanaxuato,  in  the  Intendency  of  the  same  name;  Catorce,  San  Luis 
Potosi ;  Zacatecas,  Zacatecas ;  Real  del  Monte,  Mexico ;  Bolanos,  Guadalaxara  ; 
Guarisamey,  Durango ;  Sombrerete,  Zacatecas ;  Tasco,  Mexico ;  Batopilas,  Chi- 
huahua;  Zimiapan,  Mexico;  Fresnillo,  Zacatecas;  Jlamos,  San  Luis  Potos] ; 
Parral,  Chihuahua. 

With  the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  mines  the  reales  were  converted  into 
pueblos  or  villages,  giving  an  impulse  to  agriculture  in  the  surrounding  country, 
and  to  commerce,  many  of  them  finally  becoming  prosperous  cities,  which  either 
drove  away  the  Indians,  or  reduced  them  to  submission  and  to  a  civilized  life. 
Such  is  the  history  of  the  foundation  of  Guanajuato,  whose  real  was  established 
in  1554,  obtained  the  title  of  town  in  1619,  and  of  city  the  eighth  of  September,  1741. 

The  natural  mineral  wealth  of  Guanajuato  attracted  attention  from  the  very 
first.  The  first  worked  silver  vein  was  that  of  San  Bernabe,  which  afterwards 
belonged  to  the  famous  mine  of  La  Luz.  This  vein,  we  are  assured,  was  discovered 
by  an  arriero  (muleteer),  who  travelled  between  Zacatecas  and  Mexico.  Later, 
they  worked  Mellado  and  Rayas,  and  in  sinking  shafts  in  1558,  discovered  the 
famous  Veta  Madre,  —  or  Mother  Vein,  —  which,  since  that  epoch,  has  been  at- 
tacked'at  various  points,  calling  into  existence  the  numerous  mines  of  Valenciana, 
Tepevac,  Cata,  Santa  Anna,  Fraustos,  Santa  Anita,  and  others,  whose  riches  have 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  old  continent,  even  by  the  vast  amount  of  its  argenti- 
ferous products.  Tlie  mines  have  suffered  various  vicissitudes ;  they  have  fallen 
away  in  production  since  the  time  when  Humboldt  published  a  statement  of  their 
almost  fabulous  yield.  Tlie  mine  of  Guadalupe,  known  as  the  Cata,  has  been  one 
of  the  richest  and  most  famous  of  those  in  the  district  of  Guanajuato.  At  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century  it  belonged  tc  the  heirs  of  the  Marquis  of  San  Clemente. 
Since  the  year  1758,  it  has-  been  filled  with  water  to  such  an  extent  that  it  could 
not  be  worked.  If  the  mine  could  be  effectually  drained,  it  would  also  be  possible 
to  work  the  mine  of  San  Lorenzo,  an  old  and  very  rich  one;  and  it  is  the  gen- 
eral belief  that  when  the  tiro  principal,  —  great  main  shaft,  —  shall  be  coriipleted 
and  these  mines  thoroughly  drained,  there  will  soon  result  such  a  bonanza  as  will 
revive  the  'ancient  splendors  of  Guanajuato. 

"  We  may  make,"  says  a  competent  authority,  "  three  periods  in  the  history 
of  Mexican  silver  mining :  the  Aztec  period,  which  terminated  at  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards,  who  inaugurated  the  second,  which  extended  until  Mexican  independ- 
ence, with  continually  increasing  products.  The  Spaniards  invented  amalgamation 
by  the  patio  process.  Then  came  above  twenty  years  of  confusion,  when  little  was 
done;  but  when  the  Republic  had  fairly  got  under  way,  and  the  country  was,  in 
some  measure,  open  to  foreigners,  Europe,  especially  England,  in  hot  haste  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity,  sent  tfver  engineers  and  machinery  and  great  sums 
of  money,  much  of  which  was  quite  wasted,  to  the  hopeless  ruin  of  a  great  part 
of  the  adventurers.  The  improvements  and  machinery  remained,  however,  but 
the  mines  passed  into  other  hands.  Of  late  years  the  companies  have  been  doing 
well,  and  now  export  nearly  as  much  silver  as  during  the  latter  years  of  the 
Spanish  Government." 


TOTAL    PRODUCT   OF   MEXICAN  MINES.  37 

The  English  minister,  Ward,  in  writing  of  the  mines  of  the  table-land,  said:  — 
.  .  "  Fortunately  there  is  no  reason  whatever  to  apprehend  the  approach  of  that 
scarcity  of  mineral  productions  with  which  many  think  Mexico  is  menaced.  Hith- 
erto, at  least  (1S27),  every  step  that  has  been  taken  in  exploring  the  country,  has  led 
to  fresh  indications  of  wealth,  which  in  the  north  appears  to  be  really  inexhaustible." 
(This  was  written  twenty  years  before  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  when 
the  territory  comprising  Arizona,  Nevada,  etc.,  was  a  howling  wilderness.) 

"  Mining  in  Mexico  has  hitherto  (true  yet)  been  confined  to  a  comparatively 
narrow  circle;  the  immense  mass  of  silver  which  the  country  has  yielded  since  the 
conquest  has  proceeded  from  a  few  central  spots ;  yet,  if  one  examine  these  spots 
we  shall  find  that  three  centuries  of  constant  productiveness  have  not  sufficed  to 
exhaust  the  principal  mines  originally  worked,  while  by  far  the  largest  proportion 
of  the  great  veins  remain  un worked  in  each." 

At  Sombrerete,  the  vein  of  the  Pavellon  has  been  worked  from  the  time  of  the 
conquest,  though  it  was  only  in  the  year  1792  that  it  produced  the  famous  bonanza. 
.  .  .  .  The  mines  of  Santa  Eulalia,  in  Chihuahua,  continued  to  be  equally 
productive  during  a  period  of  eighty  years,  and  were  only  abandoned  at  last  in 
consequence  of  the  incursions  of  the  Indian  tribes.  The  riches  of  Real  del  Monte 
can  hardly  be  said  to  have  diminished  in  a.  term  of  sixty  years,  although  the 
difficulty  of  drainage  caused  the  works  there  to  be  suspended.  An  account  of  the 
miners,  on  oath,  in  1801,  of  the  state  of  the  lower  levels,  when  abandoned,  shows 
the  richness  of  the  vein  to  have  been  unimpaired. 

TOTAL   PRODUCT    OF    THE    MEXICAN    MINES- 

A  very  clear  estimate  of  the  precious  metals  sent  from  the  New  to  the  Old 
World  in  the  early  years  of  its  conquest  is  given  by  Humboldt,  as  follows:  From 
1492  to  1500,  $15,000,  gold  of  Cibao  (Hayti),  coast  of  Paria,  etc.  From  1500  to 
154c;,  annual  product  $3,000,000:  Mexican  mines  of  Tasco,  Zultepeque,  Pachuca; 
Peruvian  mines  of  Caxamarca  and  Cuzco,  and  the  spoils  of  Tenochtitlan,  Choco 
and  Antioquia.  From  1545  to  1600,  $11,000,000 :  Zacatecas,  Guanajuato,  Cerro 
del  Potosi,  Peru,  etc.  From  1600  to  1700,  $16,000,000:  mines  of  Potosi  getting 
exhausted,  but  new  ones  discovered.  From  1700  to  1750,  $22,500,000  alluvial 
deposits  of  Brazil,  Mexican  mines  of  La  Biscaina,  Sombrerete,  and  Batopilas. 
From  1750  to  1800,  $35,500,000;  last  period  of  splendor  of  Tasco  mine;  the  Valen- 
ciana  wrought.  The  same  great  authority  estimates  the  total  gold  and  silver  sent 
from  America  to  Europe,  —  between  years  1492  and  1S03,  —  three  centuries,  —  at 
;^ [,166,77 5,322  ;  say  in  round  numbers,  $8,250,000,000. 

Taking  as  a  basis  the  estimates  of  the  great  Humboldt,  the  annual  average  of  the 
Mexican  mines  between  1690  and  1803  was  $12,000,000;  and  the  total  product  up  to 
18S4  will  foot  up  nearly  $4,000,000,000,  as  follows  :  — 

Between  1521  —  1803  (inclusive) $2,027,952,000 

"  1804  — 1847  " 768,188,420 

"  1S48 — 1875  " 702,000,000 

Product  for  1876  (Cubas)       .         .         .     '    ,         .         .         .  20,000,000 

"         "     1877-' 78- '79  (estimated)  ....  75,000,000 

"         "     iS8o(Busto:  Estadisticd) -9'7I3>j55 

"         "     iSSi  —  18S4  (inclusive:  estimated)  .         .        .  100,000,000 


$3,722,853,775 

304824 


38 


MEXICA  N  RE  SO  UR  CES. 


These  estimates  are,  of  course,  more  or  less  imperfect.  No  one  can  doubt  the 
integrity  of  the  great  author  of  Cosmos,  who  diligently  searched  the  mining  records 
of  Mexico, to  which  he  had  free  access.  "But,"  says  an  English  authorit}-,  "during 
the  civil  war  (which  occurred  ten  years  later,  and  lasted  nearly  twelve  years),  the 
archives,  not  only  of  the  college  of  mines  (to  which  Humboldt  had  access,  and 
by  which  the  produce  of  each  separate  district  might  have  been  ascertained),  but 
of  almost  all  the  mining  deputations,  were  destroyed  Even  the  registers  of  the 
sums  paid  to  the  Cajas  Provinciales,  —  provincial  treasuries,  —  as  the  '  king's  fifth,' 
have  disappeared." 

Our  authorities,  then,  from  which  the  foregoing  deductions  are  made  are  :  first, 
Humboldt  (1803),  Ward  (1S27),  Brantz  Mayor  (about  1842),  Cubas  (1S76),  Busto, — 
Estadistica  de  la  Reptiblica  Mexicana  (18S0),  various  Mexican  writers  scattered 
throughout  the  sixty  years  known  as  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  the  anuarios 
(annuals)  up  to  1884.  Ward,  the  British  Minister  to  Mexico  in  1827,  thought  that 
Humboldt  under-estimated  the  product  of  the  Mexican  mines.  He  further  alludes 
to  the  fact  that  from  the  mines,  throughout  the  long  period  when  Mexico  was 
in  the  throes  of  civil  strife,  the  lower  classes  drew  their  entire  subsistence,  by 
extracting  ore  from  the  upper  levels  of  mines  abandoned  by  their  wealthy 
owners,  and  thus  completing  the  ruin  water  had  commenced  by  removing  pillars  left 
for  support,  etc.  It  is  not  the  author's  desire  to  make  out  a  case  either  for  or 
against  the  Republic  of  Me.xIco,  but  it  is  his  wish  to  clearly  present  an  accurate 
statement  of  its  resources.  It  is  his  opinion  that,  considering  the  vast  amount  that 
conjecturally  has  paid  no  duties ;  has  been  smuggled  out  of  the  country,  and 
extracted  by  the  thousands  of  biiscones,  or  illegitimate  miners,  of  which  no  record 
has  been  kept,  the  mines  of  Mexico  have  yielded  a  total  product  of  not  less  than 
$4,000,000,000. 

In  1876,  an  American  statistician,'  basing  his  estimates  upon  those  of  Humboldt, 
and  the  various  official  reports  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  sums  up 
tlie  total  products  of  gold  and  silver  of  the  territory  formerly  known  as  New 
Spain,  the  most  valuable  portion  of  which  the  United  States  acquired  from 
Mexico,  in  1848,  as  follows:  — 


Mexico,  1521  — 1804 
"        1804 — 1848 

1848—1876  . 
California,  1848 — 1876 
Nevada,  1848  — 1876  . 
Arizona,  184S — 1S76  . 
New  Mexico,  184S  —  1876 
Utah,  1848  — 1876 


Total  of  New  Spain   1521  —  1S76 


$2,027,952,000 

768,188,420 

702,000,000 

1,064,628,502 

293.233.910 

7,962,000 

6,075,000 

17,472,773 


.    $4,887,512,605 

He  further  compares  the  gold  and  silver  product  of  the  world,  for  about  the 
same  period,  with  that  of  New  Spain,  by  which  it  appears  that  the  latter  restricted 
territory  produced  thirty-seven  per  cent  of  the  whole,  during  three  centuries  :  —  New 
Spain,  $4,888,512,605;  the  World,  $13,111,825,889. 


*  Alex.  D.  Anderson,  in  The  Silver  Country;  or.  The  Great  Southwest.     New  York:  1877. 


PRODUCTION  AXD    COINAGE  OF   GOLD    AND    SILVER.   39 


By  a  series  of  comparisons  he  shows  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  world's 
silver  product,  of  later  years,  has  been  obtained  from  New  Spain  :  —  From  1521  to 
1S04,  it  yielded  43  per  cent  of  the  silver  product  of  the  whole  world;  from  1S04 
to  1848,  56  per  cent;  from  1S4S  to  1868,  50  per  cent;  and  during  the  year  1875, 
75  per  cent  of  the  silver  product  of  the  whole  world. 

"  The  territory  acquired  by  the  United  States  from  Mexico,  produced,"  he  says, 
"between  1S48 — 1876  seven-eighths  the  total  amount  of  silver  and  gold  of  the 
country,  viz:  — 

Total  product  of  United  States $1,574,045,802 

"  "        "    territory  acquired  from  Mexico        .         .       1,389,372,185 


other  States,  only 


$184,673,617." 


RESUME    OF    MINES    AND    MINING    FOR    THE    YEAR  1880. 


Mineral  districts      , 
Placers     . 

Mines  in  working    . 
"      " Denounced 


of  silver  and  gold 

silver    . 

copper . 

lead 

cinnabar 


Annual  production  in  cargas  {300  lbs.  each)   . 

"  "  in  kilograms  of  pure  metal 

Value  of  total  production  of  the  mines  . 
Number  of  men  employed      .... 

Salaries  and  wages  paid 

Kilograms  of  pure  silver  reduced  [patio)       .        .         .     360,284,317 

"         «  "         [tonel)        .         .         .       24,503,843 

"  "         "  "         (lixiviation)        .         <       16,077,771 

"  "         "  "         [fucgd]       .         .         .     142,224,667 

Number  of  mints  in  the  Republic  . 

Gold  coined  during  year  1879 $622,524.00 

Silver     "  «         «         «  21,405,331.00 

Copper  "  «         «         «  16,300.00 


Kilograms  of  pure  gold  (961,131)  value  of     .         .        . 
"  "     silver  (543,120,598)  value  of     . 

"  "     metal  (544,081,720)  value  of     . 

Difference  in  kilograms  between  production  and  coinage, 
"  in  value  "  "  and        " 


1.247 
447 


332 
807 

156 

143 

94 


3-4 

23 

1,69^ 


1,694 

2,567,306 
843,058,000 

^29,713.355 

102,240 

$8,021,000 


543,120,598 
II 


$22,084,155.20 

$618,514.58 
$21,240,904.59 

121,859,419.17 

299.93S 
$7,629,199.80 


40  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


GOLD. 

"  Rivers  become  less  auriferous,"  wrote  Humboldt,  "  in  proportion  as,  in  the 
course  of  ages,  their  flow  becomes  less  rapid.  A  horde  of  savages  who  settle  in  a 
valley  where  man  has  never  before  penetrated,  find  grains  of  gold,  accumulated 
there  for  thousands  of  years ;  while  in  our  day,  the  most  careful  washings  hardly 
produce  a  few  particles." 

In  corroboration  of  this  we  may  cite  the  golden  streams  of  Hayti  and  San  Domingo 
which  were  so  productive  in  the  few  years  succeeding  the  discovery  of  the  West 
Indies,  but  which  now  contain  nothing  of  value.  Mexican  gold,  the  same  great 
authority  states,  is  for  the  most  part  extracted  from  alluvial  ground,  by  means 
of  washing.  These  grounds  are  common  in  the  province  of  Sonora ;  a  great  deal 
of  gold  has  been  collected  among  the  sands  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Hiaqui  (Yaqui). 
Farther  to  the  north  in  Pimeria  Alta,  under  the  thirty-first  degree  of  latitude,  lumps 
of  native  gold,  pepitas,  have  been  found  of  the  weight  of  from  five  to  six  pounds. 
In  these  desert  regions,  the  incursions  of  the  Indians,  the  excessive  price  of  pro- 
visions, and  the  want  of  the  necessary  water  for  working,  are  all  great  obstacles  to 
the  extraction  of  gold. 

Another  part  of  the  Mexican  gold  is  extracted  from  the  veins  which  traverse  the 
primitive  mountains,  which  are  most  frequent  in  _Oaxaca  (State),  either  in  gneiss 
or  micaceous  slate,  which  last  rock  is  particularly  rich  in  gold.  These  veins,  of 
.which  the  ga7igiie  is  milk  quartz,  are  more  than  half  a  metre  in  thickness,  but  their 
richness  is  very  unequal,  as  they  are  frequently  "strangled,"  and  the  extraction  of 
gold  in  the  mines  of  Oaxaca  is  in  general  by  no  means  considerable.  Gold  is  to  be 
found,  either  pure  or  mixed  with  silver  ore,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  single  silver 
mine  which  does  not  also  contain  gold.  Native  gold  is  frequently  found  crystal- 
lized in  octahedrons,  or  as  laminae,  or  in  a  reticulated  form,  in  the  silver  ores 
of  the  mines  of  Villalpando  and  Rayas,  near  Guanajuato;  Guarisamay,  west  of 
Durango;  and  Mezquitl,  in  Guadalajara,  which  last  yields  the  purest  metal. 

Among  the  ancient  Aztecs,  the  Spaniards  found  a  great  quantity  of  ornaments 
and  works  in  gold,  such  as  a  golden  disk,  as  large  as  a  cart  wheel,  etc.  Of  presents 
to  royalty,  from-  the  conquistadores  of  the  New  World,  probably  few  have  sur- 
passed, in  novelty  of  design,  and  intrinsic  value,  that  golden  culverin  sent  to  the 
king  of  Spain  by  Cortes,  in  1523.  It  was  a  superbly  executed  work,  and  valued  at 
20,000  ducats.  In  the  great  market  of  ancient  Mexico,  gold  dust  was  sold  in  tubes, 
or  quills  of  aquatic  birds,  made  transparent,  so  that  the  size  of  the  golden  grains 
could  be  seen. 

Although  long  celebrated'  as  the  Land  of  Gold,  Mexico  has  not  actually  shown 
any  great  extent  of  territory  that  may  be  called  auriferous.  A  glittering  thread 
of  gold  runs,  indeed,  the  entire  length  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  but  it  is  only  at  rare 
intervals  that  it  has  been  taken  up  and  pursued  with  profit.  Placer  gold  has  been 
discovered  in  the  north,  but  it  is  mainly  in  the  south,  in.  Oaxaca,  that  the  ore  has 
of  late  years  been  mined.     The  following  list  identifies  auriferous  localities  : 

Native  Gold.  —  State  of  Guerrero,  mineral  de  Tepantitlan ;  State  of  Mexico* 
mineral  del  Oro;  State  of  Oaxaca,  mineral  de  San  Antonio. 

Auriferous  Placers. — ;  Several  districts  in  the  states  of  Chihuahua,  Sonora, 
and  Ixtapa  in  Mexico. 

Gold   combined  with  other  Metals.  —  State   of  Chihuahua:  Guadalupe  y 


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xiii- 


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xvi 


GOLD    AND    SILVER    DISTRICTS.  4 1 

Calvo,  Guadalupe  de  los  Reyes,  Parral ;  State  of  Durango :  Avino,  Basis,  Canelas,! 
Comercio,  Coneho,  Cuencame,  Duraznito,  El  Oro,  Gavilanes,  Guanacevi,  Huahua- 
pan,  Inde,  Mapimi,  Penon  Blanco,  Picotercot,  San  Dimas,  San  Juan  de  Guadalupe, 
San  Bruno,  San  Rafael,  Santa  Rosa,  Santiago,  Topia,  Ventanas ;  State  of  Guerrero : 
mineral  de  Tasco  ;  State  of  Guanajuato  :     The  greater  part  of  the  mines  of  silver 
of  the  district  of  Guanajuato  contain  traces  of  gold,  principally  those  of   Rayas,  , 
Monte  de  San  Nicolas,  Sirena  and  el  Nayal ;  State  of  Hidalgo,  Pachuca,  Zimapan  ;  ' 
State  of  Jalisco,  mineral  de  Etzatlan ;  State  of  Mexico  :  mineral  districts.  El  Oro, 
Ixtlahuaca,  Sultepec,  Temascaltepec;  State  of  Michoacan  ;  minerals  of  Angangueo 
and  Tlalpujahua;    State  of    Oaxaca,  minerals  of    Ixtlan  and  Penoles;    State  of 
Puebla,  mineral  de  Tetela,  del  Oro ;  State  of  Queretaro,  mineral  del  Doctor  ;   State 
of  San  Luis  Potosi,  mineral   of  San  Pedro ;  State  of   Sinaloa :    Birimosa,  Cajon, 
Cosala,  Fresnos,  Limon,  San  Janvier,  Tule  ;  State  of  Sonora :  Promontorios,  Minas 
Nuevas;  State  of  Zacatecas,  Carcamo.  Cedros,  Chalchihuites-,  Fresnillo,  Mazapil, 
Noria,  Pico  de  Frcire,  Pinos,  Zacatecas. 

SILVER, 

Mexico's  greatest  mineral  wealth,  undoubtedly,  lies  in  its  vast  deposits  of  silver, 
as  compared  with  which  its  treasure  of  gold  is  almost  insignificant.  In  our  general 
remarks  upon  mining,  we  have  described  the  ancient  and  modern  silver  mines,  and 
have  related  the  history  of  their  discovery.  It  only  remains,  now,  to  indicate  the 
districts  in  which  silver  is  the  principal  product.  For  further  particulars,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  detailed  description  of  the  resources  of  the  states. 

Native  Silver,  says  Humboldt,  which  is  much  less  abundant  in  America  than 
is  generally  supposed,  has  been  found  in  considerable  masses,  sometimes  weigh- 
ing more  than  two  hundred  kilograms,  in  the  mines  of  Batopilas.  From  time 
to  time,  he  adds,  small  branches,  or  cylindrical  filaments,  of  native  silver,  are 
discovered  in  the  celebrated  vein  of  Guanajuato ;  but  these  masses  have  never 
been  so  considerable  as  those  which  were  formerly  drawn  from  the  mines  of 
Encino,  near  Pachuca,  and  Tasco,  where  native  silver  is  sometimes  contained  in 
foliated  gypsum.  It  is  now  found  in  certain  districts  of  Batopilas,  State  of  Chi- 
huahua, Guanajuato,  Pachuca  and  Zacatecas ;  and  argentiferous  and  platiniferous 
deposits  in  the  district  of  Jacala,  State  of  Hidalgo,  known  as  Santa  Maria  de  Alamos. 

Principal  Silver  Districts.  —  Chihuahua:  Batopilas,  Batuchique,  Canda- 
mena,  Cusihuiriachi,  Guadalupe  y  Calvo,  Guadalupe  de  los  Reyes,  Jesus  Maria, 
Morelos,  Parral,  Santa  Eulalia,  Toquimbo,  Urique,  Uruachi,  Valle,  Zapori. 

Durango:  Arzati,  Avino,  Bajada,  Basis,  Canelas,   Coneto,  Comercio,  Cuencame, 
Durangal,  Duraznito,  El  Oro,  Fresnos,  Gavilanes,  Guanacevi,  Iluahuapan,  Inde, 
Mapimi,  Metatitos,  Mezquital,  Parrilla,  Penon  Blanco,  Picoeterco,  Pueblo  Nuevo,  ; 
Rodeo,  San  Dimas,  San  Juan  de  Guadalupe,  San  Lucas,  Santiago,  Sianori,  Tama- 
zula,  Tejame,  Topia,  Ventanas. 

Guanajuato:  El  Nayal,  El  Nopal,  Gilmonene,  Jesus  Maria,  La  Joya,  Mejiamora, 
Monte  de  San  Nicolas,  Rayas,  San  Pedro,  Santa  Lucia,  Sirena,  Socavon  de  San 
Cayetano,  Valenciana. 

Guerrero  :  Colorin,  Socavon,  Tasco,  Zarza  Nueva. 

Hidalgo :  Pachuca,  Zimapan. 

Jalisco:  Bramador,  Cuale,  Etzatlan,  Hoztotipaquillo,  Huachinango,  Ixtlan,  La 
Bautista,  La  Yesca,  San  Sebastian,  Santo  Tomas. 


42  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

Mexico :  Chalchitepec,  El  Oro,  Ixtlahuacan,  Sultepec,  Temascaltepec,  Villa  del 
Valle,  Zacoalpaii. 

Michoacan '.  Agangueo,  Tlalpujahua. 

Morelos:  San  Juan  de  Dios. 

Nueva-Leon;  Mienas  Viejas,  in  the  district  of  Villaldama. 

Oaxaca:  Ixtlan,  Penoles,  Talca,  Totoloapan. 

Puebla:  Tetela  del  Oro. 

Queretaro;  El  Doctor. 

San  Luis  Potosi :  Bermalejo,  Catorce,  Charcas,  Guadalcazar,Matehuale,  San  Pedro. 

Sinaloa ;  Alisitos,  Atotonilco,  Bacubirito,  Birimoa,  Cajon,  Calabazas,  Cantar- 
ranas,  Capula,  Cosala,  Chichi,  Fresnos,  Fuerte,  Joya,  Limon,  Panuco,  San  Ignacio, 
San  Javier,  San  Jose  de  Gracia,  San  Lorenzo,  San  Luis,  Santa  Cruz,  Sarabia,  Tigre, 
Tule,  Yedras,  Zapote. 

Sonora ;  Aduana,  Ala-mos,  Baucari,  La  Barranca,  La  Trinidad,  Los  Bronces, 
Minas  Nuevas,  Soyopa,  Tesopaco,  Zuviate. 

Zacatecas ;  Bolanos,  Carcamo,  Cedros,  Chalchihuites,  Fresnillo,  Mazapil,  Noria, 
Nieves,  Sombrerete,  San  Juan  de  Guadalupe,  Sierra  Hermosa,  Pinos,  Rio  Grande, 
Teul,  Pico  de  Freire,  Zacatecas. 

The  mineral  districts  given  above  are  those  from  which  was  obtained  the  silver 
coined  in  the  mints  of  the  Republic  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1S79,  ^ 
total  amount  of  $22,067,855 

SuLPHURET  OF  SILVER  is  found  in  Guanajuato,  Pachuca,  Zacatecas  and  in  Zacu- 
lapan.  State  of  Mexico.  Ruby  silver  in  Morelos,  State  of  Chihuahua.  Black  silver 
in  Chihuahua,  Guanajuato  and  Zacatecas.  Argentiferous  galenite  in  the  greater 
part  of  the  mines  of  the  Republic, 

QUICKSILVER. 

Cinnabar  is  found  in  the  State  of  Durango :  Pregones  and  Chiltepi ;  State  of 
Guerrero:  El  Puesto,  Jalisco;  Guadalcazar,  San  Luis  Potosi;  El  Doctor,  Quere- 
taro, and  la  Trinidad ;  in  the  cerro  of  Tippocanes,  State  of  Zacatecas.  Hepatic 
cinnabar  in  Guadalupe  Atargea,  State  of  Guanajuato.  Guadalcazarite  in  Guadal- 
cazar, State  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  Onofrita  in  mine  of  San  Onofre,  State  of  Quere- 
taro.    Livingstonite  in  Huitzuco,  State  of  Guerrero. 

By  referring  to  Humboldt,  we  find  that  New  Spain  in  1803  consumed  an  annual 
amount  of  2,100,212  Troy  pounds  of  mercury.  "The  court  of  Madrid,  having 
reserved  to  itself  the  exclusive  right  of  selling  mercury,  both  Spanish  and  foreign, 
entered  in  1784  into  a  contract  with  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  When  the  price 
of  mercury  has  progressively  lowered,  the  worldng  of  the  mines  has  gone  on 
increasing.  In  1590  a  quintal  of  mercury  was  sold  in  Mexico  for  187  piastres; 
but  in  1750  the  court  distributed  it  to  the  miners  at  82  piastres:  in  1777  a  royal 
decree  fixed  the  price  of  the  mercury  of  Almaden  at  41  piastres,  2  reales,  and  that 
of  Germany  at  63  piastres."  From  an  argument  by  General  Rosecrans,  before 
Congress,  in  December,  1882,  it  appears,  that,  during  thirty-three  years,  the  quick- 
silver-mines of  California  have  produced  1,310,095  flasks,  or  100,222,267  pounds. 
California  produces  half  the  quicksilver  of  the  world ;  that  of  the  Old  World, 
from  the  mines  of  Austria  and  Spain,  being  controlled  by  the  Rothschilds,  who, 
but  for  the  mines  of  California  and  Mexico,  would  seriously  retard  all  mining 
operations,  to  which  this  valued  product  is  essential  in  the  reduction  of  ores. 


QUICKSILVER,  IRON,   COPPER,  LEAD,  ETC.  43 


IRON. 

Meteoric  iron  is  found  in  the  desert  of  San  Carlos,  State  of  Coahuila,  and  Jiqui- 
pilco,  State  of  Mexico.  Magnetic  iron  in  "Encarnacion,"  State  of  Hidalgo,  and 
in  the  State  of  Chihuahua.  Red  globular  iron  in  Cerro  del  Mercado,  in  the  State 
of  Durango.     Plumbago  in  the  district  of  Zimapan,  State  of  Hidalgo. 

Further  allusion  to  the  great  mass  of  iron  ore  known  as  el  Cerro  del  Mercado 
will  be  found  under  the  Mines  of  Durango.  Meteoric  masses  have  been  discovered 
in  various  portions  of  Mexico.  Says  a  writer  on  Mexico  ;  "The  'Arabian  Nights  ' 
story  of  the  mountain  which  consisted  of  a  single  loadstone  finds  its  literal  fulfil- 
ment in  Mexico.  Not  far  from  Huetamo,  on  the  road  to  the  Pacific,  there  is 
a  conical  hill,  composed  entirely  of  magnetic  iron  ore.  The  blacksmiths  in  the 
neighborhood,  with  no  other  apparatus  than  their  common  forges,  make  it  directly 
into  wrought-iron,  which  they  use  for  all  ordinary  purposes." 


COPPER,   LEAD,    SULPHUR,  AND   VARIOUS    MINERALS. 

Common  pyrites  are  found  in  mine  of  La  Mala  Noche,  Zacatecas.  Radiated 
pyrites  in  mines  of  Guanajuato  and  Zacatecas.  Lead  in  Galena  and  Zimapan,  State 
of  Hidalgo  ;  and  Asientos,  State  of  Aguascalientes.  Carbonate  of  lead  in  mine  of 
San  Nicola  and  Maconi,  State  of  Queretaro;  mine  Negra  in  Jacala  and  Zimapan, 
State  of  Hidalgo.  Sulphite  of  copper  in  Tepezala,  State  of  Aguascalientes.  Yel- 
low copper  in  Santa  Clara,  State  of  Michoacan ;  Santa  Rosalia,  Chihuahua,  and 
Agua  Blanca,  Jalisco.  Native  bismuth,  in  mine  of  Orito  and  in  Ojo  Caliente,  State 
of  Zacatecas.  Bismuth  silenide  in  mine  of  Santa  Rosa,  State  of  Guanajuato. 
Carbonate  of  bismuth  in  the  Cerros  del  Desierto,  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi. 
Ochre  of  bismuth  in  Vizarron,  State  of  Queretaro.  Zinc  in  mines  of  Tasco,  State 
of  Guerrero.  Native  sulphur  in  volcano  of  Popocatepetl;  Orizaba,  State  of  Vera 
Cruz,  and  Taximaroa,  Michoacan. 

Regarding  the  ancient  use  of  copper,  Humboldt  wrote :  "  Of  all  the  metals, 
copper  was  that  which  was  most  commonly  employed  in  the  mechanical  arts:  it 
supplied  the  place  of  iron  and  steel  to  a  certain  extent ;  and  the  arms  of  the 
Aztecs,  axes,  chisels,  and  all  their  tools,  were  made  of  the  copper  which  they 
extracted  from  the  mountains  of  Zacotollan  and  Cohuixco.  Several  men  of  great 
learning,  but  unacquainted  with  chemical  knowledge,  have  maintained  that  the 
Mexicans  and  Peruvians  possessed  a  particular  secret  for  tempering  copper,  and 
converting  it  into  steel.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  a.xes,  and  other  Mexican  tools, 
were  almost  as  sharp  as  steel  instruments ;  but  it  was  by  the  admixture  of  //;/,  and 
not  by  any  tempering,  that  they  acquired  this  extreme  hardness.  ...  In  several 
provinces  (of  Anahuac),  pieces  of  copper  to  which  the  form  of  a  T  was  given,  were 
used  as  currency.  Cortes  relates,  that  having  undertaken  to  found  cannons  in 
Mexico,  and  having  despatched  emissaries  for  the  discovery  of  mines  of  tin  and 
copper,  he  learned,  that,  in  the  environs  of  Tasco,  the  natives  employed  in  exchange 
pieces  of  melted  tin,  which  were  as  thin  as  the  smallest  coins  of  Spain."  See  also 
the  author's  text  and  cuts  of  ancient  copper  utensils,  in  "  Travels  in  Mexico," 
P-  544- 


44 


MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


PRECIOUS   STONES,  OPALS,  ETC. 

Rubies  are  found  in  tlie  State  of  Durango.  Diamonds  in  the  State  of  Guerrero 
and  Tonalixco,  in  the  direction  of  the  Sierra  de  Zon^olica.  Topazes  in  the  Sierra 
de  Canoas,  in  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  Emeralds  in  Tejupitco,  State  of 
Mexico.  Garnets  in  Xalostro,  State  of  Morelos,  and  in  the  State  of  Chihuahua. 
Fine  opals  in  Esperanza  and  Amealco,  State  of  Queretaro,  and  in  Real  del  Monte, 
State  of  Hidalgo.  Common  opals  in  Zimapan,  State  of  Hidalgo.  Stilbite  in  States 
of  Chihuahua  and  Guanajuato.  Quartzes,  agates,  carnelians,  etc.,  in  Real  del  Monte, 
State  of  Hidalgo,  and  in  the  mine  of  San  Rafael,  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi. 
Various  silicates  in  Bustamancia  and  Pachuca,  State  of  Hidalgo.  Xonatlacias  in 
Xonotla,  State  of  Puebla. 

The  richest  opaliferous  district  is  in  Queretaro,  in  the  environs  of  the  hacienda 
of  Esperanza,  ten  leagues  (twenty-five  mi-les)  north-west  of  San  Juan  del  Rio.  This 
hacienda  is  surrounded  by  opal-bearing  rocks;  even  the  buildings  pertaining  to  it 
being  erected  upon  them.  The  opals  of  Esperanza  were  discovered  in  1855  by  a 
servant  of  the  place,  but  were  not  worked  until  1870,  when  the  first  mine  was 
opened  one  league  north-east  of  the  hacienda,  and  called  Santa  Maria  del  Iris. 
Others  followed,  and  now  there  are  ten  veins  exposed.  The  rock  in  which  the 
opals  are  found  is  a  siliceous  porphyry,  the  banks,  or  ridges,  having  a  general 
direction  from  south-east  to  north-west,  which  may  be  plainly  noted  in  the  hill  of 
Ceja  de  Leon  —  the  Lion's  Eyebrow.  The  mine  called  the  Simpatica  is  the  most 
noted  for  its  great  variety  of  opals,  inasmuch  as  it  is  called  a  magazine  of  all 
known  varieties.  In  the  same  morning  one  can  obtain  precious  opals,  arlcqicines; 
fire-opals,  — girasols  de  fuegos,  —  semi-opals,  etc. 

The  precious  opals  are  found  both  opaque  and  transparent,  and  presenting  an 
infinite  play  of  color,  from  ruby  and  metallic  lustre,  to  violet  blue,  which  is  con- 
sidered as  a  rare  and  desirable  color.  The  arleqiihies  reflect  a  diversity  of  colors. 
The  girasols  display  emerald  tints  upon  a  basic  color  of  fiery  red. 

In  the  neighboring  hills  are  the  mines  of  El  Rosario,  El  Iris,  La  Peineta,  and 
Providencia.  As  the  opals  are  encountered  disseminated  throughout  the  matrix 
of  porphyry,  without  any  apparent  system,  their  mining  consists  merely  in  sinking 
various  wells,  or  small  shafts,  on  the  most  likely  spots,  making  use  of  augers,  — 
barrenos,  —  on  account  of  the  hardness  of  the  rock  containing  the  stones.  When 
one  of  these  shafts  attains  to  a  sufficient  depth,  it  presents  a  really  marvellous 
spectacle ;  the  rock  glistening  with  a  thousand  rays  of  colored  light.  The  color 
of  the  matrix  varies  from  a  grayish  red  to  a  reddish  white,  and  the  difference  in 
color  indicates  the  class  of  opal  it  contains.  In  the  first  are  found  the  girasols,  or 
fire-opals,  though  mixed  with  others,  similar ;  but  in  the  white  porphyries,  as  in 
those  of  the  Cerro  of  Peineta,  are  found  in  profusion  cloudy  opals  as  beautiful 
as  those  of  Hungary  and  Guatemala.' 

Marble.  —  Sierra  de  Puebla;  las  Aguas  and  Vizarron,  State  of  Queretaro; 
and  in  the  States  of  Guerrero,  Guanajuato,  Michoacan,  Nuevo-Leon,  etc. 

Mexican  Onyx.  —  State  of  Puebla. 

Gypsum.  —  In  Tamazula;   State  of  Jalisco. 

Granite.  —  State  of  Oaxaca;  Ameca,  State  of  Jalisco;  Tamascaltepec,  State 
of  Mexico;   and  on  the  coast  of  Acapulco,  State  of  Guerrero. 

'  Estadistica  de  la  Republica. 


PRECIOUS  STOXES,   OPALS,  ETC.  45 

Obsidian. — The  most  important  article  obtained  from  the  earth,  to  the  Aztec, 
was  obsidian,  a  volcanic  glass,  called  by  them  Itzi/i,  a  knife,  or  shining  stone. 
Ancient  mines  of  it  are  found  to-day  in  many  localities,  particularly  in  the  Cerro 
de  las  Navajas,  near  Pachuca,  about  which  are  scattered,  it  is  said,  hundreds  of 
tons  of  fragments.  Everywhere,  over  plain  and  valley,  may  be  encountered  knives, 
arrow  and  spear  points,  of  obsidian,  showing  how  numerous  were  the  uses  to 
which  it  was  put  during  the  time  of  the  early  people  of  Mexico. 

Porphyry.  —  Chihuahua:  Hidalgo,  Jalisco,  Puebla,  Queretaro,  and  Zacatecas. 

Potter's  Clay.  —  In  Guanajuato;  and  Leon  of  the  same  State. 

Salt  Districts.  —  Lower  California,  Colima,  Jalisco,  Michoacan;  San  Luis, 
Potosi ;  Tequesquites,  Tamaulipas ;  Valle\'  of  Mexico  ;  Yucatan  and  Zacoalco. 

Tequesquite.  —  The  surface  exposed  by  the  subsidence  of  Lake  Tezcoco  is 
sterile,  treeless,  almost  herbless,  but  a  few  inches  above  that  of  the  lake  itself. 
Only  a  few  plants  appear  upon  it,  belonging  to  the  genera  of  Gratiola,  Atriplex, 
etc.;  such,  in  short,  as  thrive  in  a  soil  highly  impregnated  with  saline  substances. 

"  The  landscape,"  says  a  very  intelligent  writer,  "  is  that  of  -a  dreary  desert,  in 
places  resembling  the  African  Sahara;  but  in  other  places  more  like  a  northern 
moorland,  with  a  hoar-frost,  or  a  slight  sprinkling  of  snow  upon  the  ground ;  for 
here  the  tequesquite  appears,  coating  the  surface,  sometimes  of  a  snow-white  color, 
sometimes  with  a  yellowish  tinge.  It  is  the  natron,  a  mixture  of  carbonate  and 
sulphate  of  soda.  The  poor  people  dwelling  around  the  lake  collect  and  bring  it 
to  market;  and  it  is  employed  in  various  waj-s,  —  for  washing,  for  the  fabrication 
of  soap,  and  also  in  the  cooking  of  one  of  the  most  common  of  Mexican  dishes, 
the  frijoles.  They  also  manufacture  a  coarse  kind  of  salt  out  of  the  earth  thus 
impregnated,  by  a  rough  process  known  to  them  in  the  days  of  Montezuma.  It 
seems  to  ooze  out  of  the  eai-th,  fonning  an  efflorescence  on  the  surface,  sometimes 
td  the  extent  of  a  uniform  stratum  of  an  inch  or  so  in  thickness." 

There  is  a  very  extensive  deposit  of  this  mineral  salt  in  the  State  of  Zacatecas, 
from  which  the  miners  of  that  section  draw  large  quantities  for  use  in  smelting. 
This  saline  incrustation  is  formed  on  the  surface  of  a  shallow  lake,  which  in  a 
good  year  was  estimated  to  yield  30.000  fatiegas,  or  360,000  arrobas  (twenty-five 
pounds)  yearly,  and  which  was  formerly  worth  one  dollar  the  mule-load.  The 
deposition  depends  upon  the  season,  being  best  and  thickest  with  an  average 
rainfall.  The  only  preparation  it  needs  is  to  be  gathered  into  conical,  earth-covered 
hillocks,  whence  it  is  taken  away  by  the  purchasers. 

Copperas.  —  In  Tepeji,  State  of  ^tlexico;  I'arranca  de  Tollman,  in  Hidalgo; 
Taretan  and  Huetamo,  State  of  Michoacan. 

Coals,  and  Mineral  Oils.  —  Anthracite:  la  Tequisquiapan,  State  of  Quere- 
taro, and  Tecomatlan,  Puebla. 

Pit-  Coal.  —  In  Tecomatlan,  State  of  Puebla. 

Petroleum.  —  Puerto  Angel,  State  of  Oa.xaca. 

Naphtha.  —  In  Guadalupe,  Hidalgo,  federal  district. 

Stone  Coal.  —  In  Chamacuero,  State  of  Guanajuato. 

For  further  details,  see  Resources  of  the  various  States,  Industries,  etc. 


40  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


MINING   AND    MILLING. 

1st,  Can  ore-redncing  be  profitably  carried  on  in  this  Republic  so  as  to  obtain 
through  it  an  income?     If  so,  to  what  extent  ? 

2d,  Which  is  the  part  of  the  country  most  suitable  for  reducing  silver  and  gold 
ores? 

■^(\,  Which  of  the  known  mining  districts  or  zones  offers  for  the  future  the  best 
mining  prospects,  or  best  probabilities  to  the  industry  of  reducing  ores  ? 

In  answer  to  these  questions,  Sefior  Miguel  Rul,  a  leading  mining  engineer  of 
Guanajuato,  replies  in  substance  through  the  columns  of  "The  Two  Republics  "  (an 
American  paper  published  in  Mexico),  as  follows  :  — 

(i)  "The  income  will  be  variable,  —  in  one  year,  perhaps, enormous,  but  in  another 
small.  It  is  advisable  to  erect  reduction-works,  especially  for  any  one  mine,  but, 
where  transportation  is  low,  better  to  make  one  establishment  suffice  for  a  large 
group  of  mines. 

"  My  answer  is  therefore  divided  in  two  parts :  Firstly,  the  business  of  reducing 
ores  does  not  offer  probabilities  enough  of  yielding  a  lasting  or  perpetual  income,  as 
is  the  case,  for  instance,  with  a  farm  or  a  house ;  but,  secondly,  said  business,  like  all 
others  not  consisting  only  in  landed  property,  may  render  in  good  epochs  large 
profits,  with  which  the  capital  laid  out  may  be  reimbursed." 

(2)  Guanajuato  he  considers  the  place  at  which  reduction  is  best  carried  on. 

(3)  "  As  regards  the  third  question,  I  believe,  that,  in  our  times,  the  most  suitable 
places  of  all  the  ones  actually  worked,  to  establish  such  a  kind  of  business,  should 
be  the  environs  of  Pachuca  and  Mazapil  (where  I  am  not  interested  at  all),  those  of 
Salvatierra  (which  would  favor  my  Guanajuato  business),  and,  towards  the  south, 
some  places  well  fitted  to  reduce  ores  from  the  growing  mining  districts  of  Guerrero, 
Morelos,  and  Oaxaca.  With  respect  to  future  centres,  of  mining  districts  scarcely 
worked,  Chihuahua,  Sonora,  and  Durango  may  be  at  once  pointed  out  as  the  most 
preferable  ones." 

Sefior  Rul's  description  of  the  method  of  treating  silver  ores  most  used  in  Mexico 
is  so  valuable,  that  we  herewith  reproduce  it.  The  "Patio  System  "  originated  in 
Mexico,  and  its  use  is  peculiar  to  the  country. 

Granceo  {crushing).  —  The  first  operation  to  which  ores  are  submitted  in  order  to 
reduce  them  consists  in  their  being  ground  into  small  lumps  in  mills,  called  Chilenos 
(Chilians),  substantially  consisting  of  a  large  vertical  iron  or  stone  wheel  pierced  at 
its  centre  by  a  horizontal  shaft,  to  which  mules  are  attached  to  furnish  motive- 
power.  The  ground  upon  which  the  wheel  operates  is  a  circle  om  49  wide,  formed 
by  iron  pieces  of  the  same  material  and  thickness  as  the  wheel-tire.  Between  this 
circle  and  the  vertical  shaft  there  is  a  sieve,  in  the  shape  of  a  truncate  cone,  into 
which  lumps  are  shovelled,  falling  afterwards  into  a  reservoir  placed  underneath 
the  mill. 

The  crushed  ores  are  taken  to  the  hoppers,  and  thence*  to  the  grinding  mills,  or 
arrastres,  where  they  are  to  be  ground,  or  reduced  to  a  very  fine  mud,  — an  operation 
upon  which  depends  the  quantity  of  silver  and  gold  obtained.  The  locality  where 
the  a7'7-astres  are  situated  is  called  the  Galera. 

The  arrastre  is  a  circle  3m  50  diameter,  constructed  with  flags  inserted  into  the 
ground,  the  interstices  between  them  filled  up  with  pebble,  and  then  with  fine  sand 


THE  PATIO   PROCESS.  47 

and  water.  At  the  centre  a  large  and  thicker  stone  is  placed,  called  cepo  (stock), 
intended  to  receive  a  vertical  post,  called  peon,  which  is  turned  by  means  of  a  pole, 
to  which  two  mules  are  set  to  move  the  apparatus,  dragging  a  large  stone,  hung  bv 
means  of  chains  to  each  one  of  the  cross-arms.  These  stones  are  called  voladoras 
(runners).  Their  length  is  a  little  shorter  than  the  radius  of  the  arrastre.  They  are 
cut  in  four-face  prisms,  and  weigh  about  nine  hundred  weight,  and  are,  as  well  as 
those  forming  the  bottom  of  the  arrastre,  a  hard  quartzose  porphyry. 

In  constant  operation,  the  runners  last  about  two  months,  and  the  bottom  stones, 
about  sixteen  months.  The  quantity  of  ore  ground  in  one  arrastre  of  the  given 
dimensions,  de  viarca  (standard),  varies  from  eight  to  twelve  hundred  weight.  Dur- 
ing the  twenty-four  hours  required  to  grind  said  quantity  of  ore,  twenty  or  twentv- 
six  hundred  weight  of  water  is  required. 

The  quantity  of  water  put  into  an  arrastre,  and  the  manner  of  feeding  it,  have  a 
great  influence  on  the  success  of  the  grinding  as  well  as  on  the  amount  of  gold  to 
be  found  in  the  sediment ;  and  much  depends  upon  the  capitan  de  gal  era,  or  foreman. 

When  the  ore  is  reduced  to  fine  mud,  after  twenty-four  hours'  work,  —  that  is  to 
say,  when  at  the  bottom  of  the  arrastre  no  sand  is  found,  —  the  arrastre  is  dis- 
charged, provided  the  mud  be  not  too  curdy,  which  is  shown  by  the  hand  emerging 
from  it  as  if  it  were  japanned.  .Such  being  the  case,  more  water  is  to  be  added, 
and  the  mud  to  be  tried  again,  after  having  worked  it  a  little  while. 

When  the  sand  is  perfectly  fine,  the  upper  part  of  the  contents  of  the  arrastre  is 
taken  out,  and  new  ore  put  into  it  to  complete  its  load. 

To  discharge  the  arrastre,  the  mud  is  taken  from  it  to  large  reservoirs,  called 
lameros,  where  the  mud  worked  every  day  is  put  together  until  having  the  necessary 
quantity  to  form  a  cake.  The  arrastres  must  not  be  totally  emptied,  because,  how- 
ever perfect  the  grinding  may  be,  a  certain  portion  of  badly  ground  ore  always 
remains  at  the  bottom,  besides  running  the  risk  of  throwing  into  the  reservoir 
a  part  of  the  amalgam  which  always  exists  at  the  bottom  of  the  arrastre. 

Extraction  of  Gold.  —  On  commencing  the  grinding  in  an  arrastre,  either  by 
having  provided  it  with  a  new  bottom,  or  by  its  having  been  scraped,  the  interstices 
between  the  bottom  flags  are  filled  up  with  fine  sand ;  then,  in  order  to  level  the 
arrasfre,  a  small  quantity  of  poor  ore  is  ground.  If  the  arrastre  be  not  a  new 
one,  but  only  scraped,  the  fine  sand  may  be  dispensed  with,  as  the  grinding  of  poor 
ore  serves  the  purpose.  The  arrastre  being  levelled,  a  quantity  of  quicksilver 
amalgamated  with  some  other  metal,  as  silver,  copper,  zinc,  etc.,  is  thrown  to  the 
bottom,  —  an  operation  which  is  called  empellar,  —  taking  care  to  evenly  spread  the 
amalgam  on  the  bottom.  The  quantity  of  amalgam  to  be  put  into  an  arrastre 
depends  upon  the  amount  of  gold  contained  in  the  ore,  as  well  as  upon  the  quantity 
of  ore  to  be  ground  within  the  time  elapsing  between  the  scraping  operations, 
according  to  custom  or  convenience. 

In  general,  when  eight  hundred  weight  of  ore  are  daily  ground  in  an  arrastre, 
twelve  pounds  of  amalgam  are  employed,  in  which  there  are  about  nine  and  a  half 
pounds  of  quicksilver.  The  quantity  of  amalgam  put  at  the  beginning  of  the  opera- 
tion is  insufficient  to  gather  all  the  gold  and  a  portion  of  the  silver  contained  in  the 
ore,  as  in  the  course  of  the  operation  the -amalgam  loses  its  gathering  propertv. 
Hence  it  is  necessary  to  gradually  add  small  quantities  of  quicksilver;  to  ascertain 
which,  trials  of  the  arrastre  are  made  two  or  three  times  a  week,  or  oftener  if  the 
ores  be  very  rich,  in  order  to  know  their  condition.     The  trials  are  made  as  follows  : 


4S  MEXICAX  RESOURCES. 

The  arrastrc  is  divided  by  the  runners  in  four  equal  parts:  when  a  trial  is  to  be 
made,  the  runners  are  placed  in  a  given  position,  which  is  to  be  changed  at  the 
moment  of  effecting  the  trial.  One  of  the  four  compartments  of  the  ar7-ast)-e  is 
emptied;  and,  when  the  bottom  is  exposed  to  view,  small  quantities  of  mud  are 
taken  from  the  interstices,  forming  with  them  balls,  which  are  placed  in  an  orderly 
manner  in  a  box  with  compartments,  numbered  as  the  compartments  of  the  arrastre, 
in  order  to  avoid  confusion. 

I'he  balls  are  washed ;  and  from  the  appearance  of  the  sediment  the  condition 
of  the  mud  is  ascertained.  If  the  sediment  appear  compact,  or  divided  in  large 
]3ieces,  it  proves  that  the  mud  is  well  saturated  with  quicksilver,  and  the  operation 
can  go  on;  but  should  the  mud  be  too  much  pulverized,  almost  powdered,  then 
it  is  too  dry,  and  wants  more  quicksilver,  until  it  becomes  as  fluid  as  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  operation.  In  the  former  case,  the  pressure  of  the  mud  with  the 
finger  forms  a  white  and  shining  surface :  in  the  latter  instance,  it  forms  a  dark  and 
opaque  one.  An  accurate  account  of  the  quantity  of  quicksilver  put  into  each 
arrastre  is  kept,  so  as  to  know  at  any  moment  the  total  amount  employed  in  the 
galera:  hence  the  approximate  quantity  of  silver  in  all  the  arrastres.  From  ores 
without  pure  silver,  ten  or  twelve  per  cent  of  the  alloy  contained  in  the  whole 
grinding  is  gathered;  but  the  best  way  to  ascertain  it  is  to  assay  the  amalgam, 
taking  small  quantities  from  each  trial  in  order  to  estimate  the  condition  of  the 
galera.  Said  assays  show  very  accurately  the  amount  of  gold  and  silver  contained 
in  all  the  arrastres. 

When  the  amalgam  is  considered  rich  enough,  or  when  it  is  thought  that  its 
quantity  at  the  bottom  of  the  arrastre  is  too  large  (which  would  be  detrimental  to 
the  grinding  operation),  the  scraping  o[)eration  is  commenced.  This  consists  in 
taking  out  the  flags  forming  the  bottom  of  the  an-astre,  extracting  with  hooks  from 
the  interstices  all  the  earth  which  may  contain  amalgam.  The  operation  ends, 
when,  assaying  the  earth  taken  from  the  interstices,  no  amalgam  is  found  in  it. 
It  would  be  no  inconvenience,  however,  to  leave  a  small  quantity  of  amalgam  in 
the  earth,  as  it  will  be  picked  out  when  putting  new  bottom  to  the  an-astre.  The 
earth  is  washed,  adding  to  it  a  suitable  amount  of  quicksilver,  and  putting  it  into 
large  trays,  where  the  amalgam  settles,  containing  about  eighteen  to  twenty-two 
pounds  of  mixed  silver  for  a  hundred  pounds  of  quicksilver  used  in  ihe  galeras. 

Patio  {yard).  —  The /atia  is  a  large  yard  paved  with  flags  very  well  adjusted  to 
each  other,  so  as  to  prevent  as  much  as  possible  the  escaping  of  the  quicksilver, 
and  with  declivity  enough  to  allow  the  running  of  the  rain-water  without  carrying 
the  mud  of  the  cakes  which  are  to  be  placed  over  the  flags.  The  cakes  are  formed 
with  the  ground  ore  which  is  to  be  worked  upon.  Whenever  there  is  in  the  lamero 
(reservoir)  mud  enough  to  form  a  cake  (about  a  hundred  inontones,  though  they  are 
sometimes  larger),  the  mud  is  tlirown  in  the  yard,  taking  care  of  dailv  taking  out 
from  the  lamero  any  excess  of  water  that  may  be  there.  The  mud  is  received  into 
another  provisional  reservoir,  constructed  over  the  yard  in  the  space  to  be  occupied 
by  the  cake,  which  reservoir  is  called  cajete ;  and  its  size  is  such  as  to  allow  the 
mud  to  form  a  cake  c"  25  to  oni  30  thick.  The  cake  is  allowed  to  settle  itself, 
being  perforated  now  and  then,  to  make  the  water  on  its  surface  gradually  flow  out. 
This  operation,  together  with  the  spontaneous  evaporation,  prepares  the  cake  for 
salting  within  four  or  six  days.  Before  salting  the  mud,  it  must  be  assayed,  taking 
from  different  points  in  the  reservoir  small  quantities  of  mud  by  means  of  a  wooden 


ASSAV/A'G   AXD   SALT/A'G    THE   ORE.  49 

rod,  which  is  pushed  down  to  the  bottom  in  order  to  have  mud  from  the  bottom, 
the  centre,  and  the  superficies  of  the  cake.  The  mud  thus  collected  is  put  together, 
well  mixed  up,  and  ready  to  effect  the  assay.  The  assay  gives  to  the  cake  a  rich- 
ness lower  than  the  one  obtained  when  assaying  the  ground  ore ;  which  difference 
is  caused  both  by  the  silver  remaining  in  the  arrastre  and  by  the  wear  of  the  latter, 
which,  increasing  the  bulk  of  the  cake,  abates  its  relative  richness.  The  quantity 
of  gold  obtained  in  this  assay  will  give  an  exact  idea  of  the  amount  to  be  collected 
from  the  arrastres,  consequently,  of  the  degree  of  perfection  attained  in  such  an 
interesting  operation.  It  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  assay  of  the  cake,  which 
serves  as  a  basis  to  estimate  the  ore,  as  well  as  the  results  of  the  reduction,  is  made 
both  by  the  miner  who  sells  the  ore  and  by  the  reducer  who  purchases  it.  Hence 
the  results  of  two  different  assays  show  the  true  value  of  the  ore,  with  a  proper 
allowance  for  reduction,  provided  the  operation  be  accurate.  It  is  also  to  be 
borne  in  mind  that  it  is  untrue,  as  some  misinformed  foreign  writers  have  asserted, 
that  our  assays  show  a  richness  thirty  per  cent  lower  than  the  right  one ;  for,  since 
the  exportation  of  ores  is  allowed,  many  a  quantity  of  them  has  been  sold  to 
Europe,  the  assays  made  there  having  given  a  result  very  similar  to  ours. 

The  quantity  of  salt  to  be  put  in  a  cake  varies  according  to  the  richness  of  the 
ore,  and  it  is  impossible  to  state  a  constant  proportion.  We  have  only  noticed 
that  the  fluctuation  takes  place  in  the  same  direction ;  that  is  to  sav,  the  richer  the 
mud  is,  the  larger  the  quantity  of  salt  required;  so  that,  for  instance,  when  the 
cjuantity  of  silver  in  a  tnotiton  is  from  four  to  six  marks,  125  pounds  of  salt  are  re- 
quired, which  is  equivalent  to  3.90  per  cent  of  the  mud.  If  the  richness  be  from 
six  to- ten  marks,  150  pounds  of  salt  will  be  added,  say  4.68  per  cent.  On  adding 
the  salts  to  the  cake,  it  must  be  evenly  distributed  over  the  surface  in  order  that 
its  action  may  be  uniform  on  the  whole  mass. 

Chlorure  of  sodium  constitutes  the  active  principle  of  salt,  and  is  one  of  the  agents 
indispensable  for  amalgamation.  The  common  salt  used  in  the  reduction  of  ores 
contains  other  substances,  such  as  chlorures  of  calcium  and  magnesium,  sulphates  of 
the  same  bases  and  of  soda,  carbonates  of  soda  and  lime,  some  earth,  and  other  acci- 
dental substances.  All  those  impurities  being  very  variable,  even  in  salts  coming 
from  the  same  mine,  and  having  great  influence  upon  the  result  and  duration  of  ore- 
reduction,  the  salt  must  be  assayed  previous  to  being  added  to  the  cake  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  quantity  of  chlorure  of  sodium  it  contains.  Besides,  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  to  employ  poor  salt,  or  to  use  an  insufficient  quantity  of  it,  will  prove 
very  detrimental. 

The  cake  being  salted,  with  the  above  precautions,  the  first  repaso  is  practised. 
Repaso  is  the  name  people  give  to  the  operation  of  stirring  the  mud  mixed  with  the 
substances  required  for  reducing  ores,  and  is  performed  by  mules,  which  are  caused 
to  continually  walk  over  the  cake  during  eight  hours.  Twenty-four  mules  gener- 
ally are  employed  for  a  cake  containing  a  hundred  vionfones  (about  147  net  tons). 

On  the  day  following  the  salting  of  the  cake ;  the  magistral  and  quicksilver  are 
added,  an  operation  called  incorforo  (incorporation).  Both  the  above  substances 
are  to  be  perfectly  spread  over  the  surface  of  the  cake;  which  operation  offers  no 
difficulty  at  all,  as  the  magistral  is  powdered,  and  the  quicksilver  is  strained  through 
a  linen,  pressed  by  hand,  and  takes  the  form  of  small  balls,  coming  out  like  drops 
of  rain.  After  having  incorporated  the  cake,  another  stirring  is  immediately  effected, 
repeating  said  operation  every  other  day,  from  six  in  the  morning  to  two  in  the  after- 


50  MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 

noon.  On  the  very  clay  the  stirring  is  made,  the  cake  is  overturned,  so  as  to  have 
the  whole  mass  perfectly  mixed  up.  This  operation  is  made  with  shovels  handled 
by  men ;  its  purpose  being  to  cause  the  mud  to  be  equally  affected  by  the  mules,  the 
combination  of  the  substances  added,  and  the  action  of  the  sun. 

The  quantity  of  magistral  used  depends  upon  several  circumstances,  the  main  one 
being  the  amount  of  sulphate  of  copper  it  contains,  as  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
said  ingredient  is  a  double  sulphur  of  copper  and  iron,  which  by  calcination  assumes 
the  condition  of  sulphate  of  the  same  metals,  but  mixed  with  variable  quantities  of 
metallic  oxides.  The  kind  of  the  ore  to  be  reduced,  and  the  atmospherical  tempera- 
ture, are  also  to  be  taken  into  consideration  when  stating  the  proportion.  With 
regard  to  the  first  influence,  it  is  obvious,  that,  the  richer  in  sulphate  of  copper  the 
magistral  is,  the  smaller  the  quantity  required.  As  a  general  rule,  we  may  say  that 
pure  crystallized  sulphate  of  copper  is  added  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  pounds  to  a 
monton  of  ore  having  from  five  to  eight  marks  of  silver.  As  regards  the  second 
influence,  —  that  is  to  say,  the  kind  of  ore  to  be  reduced,  —  nothing  but  practice  can 
ascertain  it,  and  suggest  the  quantity  of  magistral  to  be  used.  Regarding  the  third 
influence,  —  viz.,  atmospherical  temperature, — we  can  only  state,  that,  under  similar 
circumstances,  ]ess,magistral  is  required  in  winter  than  in  summer  time.  Quicksilver 
is  in  general  put  at  the  rate  of  four  pounds  to  each  mark  of  silver  in  the  cake,  as 
per  the  assay  made  before  salting  it,  better  still,  as  per  the  result  of  the  assay  made 
with  the  grama,  deducting  the  metal  which  has  remained  in  the  arrastres.  The 
quicksilver  is  put  in  smaller  quantity  than  the  one  above  mentioned  ;  but,  in  the 
course  of  the  reduction,  small  portions  are  gradually  fed,  when  the  assay  hereafter 
alluded  to  shows  that  the  amalgamation  wants  quicksilver. 

After  the  cake  has  been  incorporated  and  stirred,  another  experiment  is  made, 
called  tentadura,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  effects  the  ingredients  are  producing. 
Said  assay  is  practised  every  day,  in  the  morning  (also  at  noon,  when  the  cake  has 
been  stirred),  taking  about  half  a  pound  of  mud  from  different  parts  of  the  cake, 
—  now  from  the  superficies,  now  from  the  bottom,  or  from  both,  according  to  the  pur- 
pose in  view.  The  mud  is  dissolved  in  water  contained  in  a  dark-bottomed  vessel, 
which  is  a  small  tray  made  of  a  gourd  called  gttaje  ;  then  the  mud  is  washed  (taking 
care  not  to  rub  it  either  against  the  vessel  or  between  the  fingers)  by  a  rotary  move- 
ment, the  water  carrying  away  the  earth  and  other  useless  parts ;  then,  putting  in  clean 
water,  the  vessel  is  lightly  shaken,  so  that  the  different  components  of  the  remaining 
sediment  may  take  their  respective  places,  according  to  their  different  densities,  in 
order  to  be  inspected;  finally,  a  few  drops  of  water  are  skilfully  sprinkled  with 
the  fingers  into  the  gourd,  a  little  over  the  place  occupied  by  the  ore. 

The  characteristics  of  the  ore  are  offal  or  refuse  (called  lis  de  azogiie),  limature, 
metallic  sediment  or  fine  powder,  and  a  globule  formed  by  the  detached  quicksilver. 
Offal,  so  called  because  it  is  the  somewhat  modified  and  greatly  subdivided  quick- 
silver, forms  a  white  and  tarnished  stripe  on  the  upper  part  of  the  ore,  —  a  reason  why 
it  is  also  called  caheza  (head),  —  and  on  being  rubbed  between  the  fingers  forms 
small  globules  of  quicksilver.  Limature  is  a  white  and  shining  stripe,  which  on 
being  rubbed  with  the  thumb  becomes  a  thin  sheet  of  amalgam,  called /(?«7/tz.  The 
metallic  sediment,  also  called  body  of  the  hard  cake,  is  composed  of  the  unreduced 
ore  and  some  of  the  substances  accompanying  it. 

The  quicksilver  globule  at  the  bottom  gives,  when  strongly  compressed  with  the 
thumb,  a  certain  amount  of  amalgam,  which  increases  as  the  reduction  advances. 


ADDING    THE    QUICKSILVER   AND   MAGISTRAL.        51 

Sometimes,  when  the  reduction  is  near  completion,  the  quicksilver  does  not  form 
globules,  but  is  diffused. 

When  the  limature  lias  the  same  color  as  the  amalgam,  and  gives  forth  a  small 
amount  of  silver;  when  the  offal  forms  a  narrow  and  opaque  stripe;  finally,  when 
the  globule  is  clear  and  shining,  with  little  grains  on  its  surface,  and,  strongly 
compressed  with  the  finger,  gives  out  an  amalgam  that  makes  in  the  gourd  a  white 
mark,  —  then  it  may  be  said  that  the  reduction  is  going  on  the  right  way.  If  the 
offal  be  ash-colored,  and  the  limature  rather  opaque  and  soft,  thus  showing  its  being 
overloaded  with  quicksilver;  if,  besides,  the  color  of  the  globule  be  dark-gray,  and 
the  amalgam  it  contains,  on  being  separated  by  pressure,  leaves  on  the  goiud  a 
track  very  prominently  white-colored,  producing  something  like  whitish  smoke,  — 
then  it  is  said  that  the  cake  is  hot.  The  degree  of  heating  is  estimated  by  the 
evidence  of  the  aforesaid  features.  When  the  lis  and  limature  are  very  scarce,  and 
the  latter  too  juicy  (the  globule  being  elongated  and  depressed,  yellowish  or 
lilackish  colored),  and  the  amalgam  rendered  by  it  leaves  no  track  on  scraping  the 
goiud,  then  it  is  said  that  the  cake  is  cold. 

In  the  trial  made  after  the  stirring  following  the  incorporation,  if  the  ore  be 
not  very  rich,  a  narrow  offal  stripe  and  a  small  quantity  of  limature  are  all  that 
appear  at  the  top.  hence,  at  the  beginning  of  the  reduction,  if  the  ore  be  poor 
and  rebellious,  there  is  rather  no  other  guidance  than  the  quicksilver  globules. 

When  the  cake  becomes  hot  during  the  first  reduction  days,  the  evil  may  be 
prevented  by  adding  either  a  certain  quantity  of  fresh  mud  from  the  reservoir, 
or  some  precipitate  of  copper;  but,  should  the  heating  be  noticed  at  the  end  of  the 
operation,  precipitate  of  copjier,  ashes,  and  salt  should  be  put  in. 

The  action  of  cold  is  overborne  by  throwing  into  the  cake  a  small  cjuanlity 
of  magistral^  or  sulphate  of  copper,  in  order  to  increase  its  strength. 

When  the  reduction  process  goes  on  rightly,  it  may  be  noticed,  that,  on  the 
twentieth  day,  the  limature  and  metallic  sediment  the  silver  contains  begin  to 
decrease,  while  the  globule  abounds  with  amalgam;  but  those  effects  never  appear 
before  the  thirtieth  day  when  the  ore  is  rebellious. 

On  the  cake  being  ready,  a  rapid  increase  of  quicksilver  lis  is  noticed,  which, 
rubbed  with  the  finger,  becomes  c|uicksilver  globules,  the  limature  disappearing  at 
the  same  time.  But,  although  those  features  are  very  prominent,  they  may  in 
many  an  instance  be  deceitful.  Such  is  especially  the  case  when  quicksilver  is 
in  excess,  and  salt  scarce,  either  for  not  having  put  at  first  the  necessary  quantity 
of  it,  or  for  it  having  been  consumed  or  carried  out  by  the  rain-water.  In  order 
to  avoid  perplexity,  the  amalgam  is  assayed,  thus  ascertaining  the  amount  of  silver 
extracted ;  and  this  indication,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  characteristics  previ- 
ously found,  gives  the  certainty  that  no  larger  amount  of  silver  is  to  be  extracted. 

The  above  assays  serve  not  only  to  show  the  yielding  of  the  cake,  but  also  the 
daily  progress  of  the  reduction  process.  It  is  a  curious  fact  to  be  observed,  that 
the  results  of  the  assays  go  on  in  a  jxirallel  line,  so  to  say,  with  the  indications  of 
the  amalgam,  as  hitherto  e.xplained  ;  so  that  those  two  means  complete  each  other. 

Washing.  — The  reduction  being  finished  at  the  yard,  the  cake  is  washed  in  order 
to  separate  the  mass  of  crude  metal  from  the  muddy  and  terreous  part.  The 
washing-place  is  formed  by  three  or  four  large  wooden  or  stone  and  mortar  vats 
communicating  with  each  other  through  large  square  holes  called  bilitroues.  The 
first  and  last  of  said  vats  have  also  outside  openings,  —  the  first  one  to  receive  the 


52  MEXICAN   RESOURCES. 

mud,  and  the  last  one  to  effect  the  discharging.  Inside  those  vats  is  a  four-arm 
churn-staff,  which  by  its  revolutions  dissolves  the  mud,  allowing  the  latter  to 
remain  at  the  surface  of  the  water  all  the  time  necessary  for  the  sflver  and 
quicksilver  to  settle  themselves  at  the  bottom.  Before  commencing  to  wash  the 
cake,  it  must  be  softened  by  water  in  as  large  a  quantity  as  to  have  the  mud 
thoroughly  fluid.  Then  the  mud  is  carried  through  a  large  channel  made  on  the 
very  floor  of  the  arrastre,  dragging  it  along  by  means  of  a  frame  of  laths  pulled 
by  a  mule,  until  the  mud  is  thrown  into  the  first  vat,  called  cargadora.  When  the 
filling  operation  is  over,  with  the  vats  half-full  with  water,  the  churn  is  caused  to 
rapidly  revolve  during  half  an  hour,  —  an  operation  called  batir  (to  beat) ;  then  the 
vats  are  filled  up  with  water,  the  churn  is  slowly  revolved  (asentar,  to  settle)  during 
an  hour  and  a  half,  at  least,  in  order  to  be  sure  of  the  operation  ;  then  the  dis- 
charging follows.  But  a  trial  is  made  before,  to  see  whether  the  settling  has  been 
perfectly  made,  introducing  into  the  last  vat  but  one  a  small  vessel  hermetically 
closed,  which,  when  level  with  the  vat-hole,  is  opened  by  means  of  a  peculiar  device, 
its  contents  being  received  into  a  gourd,  there  to  be  assayed.  If  the  settling  has 
been  perfect,  a  stripe  of  quicksilver  lis  or  offal  appears,  which  on  being  rubbed 
does  not  form  any  globule,  also  some  pyrites  and  terreous  parts ;  but,  should  the 
stripe  give  forth  any  quicksilver  globule,  then  the  settling  has  been  imperfect,  and 
must  be  continued  until  the  above-mentioned  characteristics  are  obtained.  Then 
the  discharging  begins,  unstopping  the  last  vat,  called  piojo,  in  order  to  have  it 
emptied  down  to  the  opening  level.  Another  assay  is  made,  for  security's  sake, 
so  that  any  defect  noticed  may  be  corrected  at  once. 

The  vats  are  filled  up  again,  repeating  all  the  aforesaid  operations,  until  the 
whole  of  the  cake  is  washed.  Then  comes  the  rinsing  operation  (en  jiiagar), 
pouring  fresh  water  into  the  vats,  beating  and  settling  again,  so  as  to  clean  out 
all  the  mud. 

As  the  quantity  of  mud  put  in  each  filling  is  proportional  to  the  capacity  of  the 
vats,  the  washing  takes  more  or  less  time.  Vats  3™  35  diameter  by  im  67  deep, 
generally  contain  three  or  four  montones.  As  each  partial  washing  takes  about  two 
hours,  to  wash  a  cake  of  one  hundred  montones  requires  three  or  four  days.  When 
the  respective  situations  of  the  yard  and  the  washing-place  do  not  allow  the  mud 
to  be  dragged  as  aforesaid,  it  is  carried  by  men  in  large  troughs. 

Apitrar  (to  purify).  —  This  is  the  next  operation,  consisting  in  taking  from  the 
vats  the  settled  metal,  the  larger  part  of  which  is  found  in  the  first  vat,  mixed  up 
with  cabecilla,  that  is  to  say,  the  ore,  which,  not  being  reduced  to  mud,  appears 
like  sand.  This  sand  is  put  into  large  and  deep  troughs,  which  are  kept  over  the 
water  in  a  large  basin,  and  undergo  an  oscillatory  and  revolving  movement,  so 
that  the  metal  may  settle  at  the  bottom,  adding  to  that  end  a  quantity  of  quick- 
silver, which  leads  down  the  smaller  particles. 

As  the  metal  so  gotten  contains,  however,  earth  and  other  impurities,  the  cleans- 
ing operation  {limpia)  comes  next,  to  have  the  metal  completely  purified.  The 
mass  of  crude  metal  is  taken  to  the  azogueria,  where  it  is  thrown  into  a  circular 
stone  basin  well  covered  with  bitumen :  more  quicksilver  is  added  to  it,  stirring 
it  through,  so  that  the  impurities  remain  at  the  surface.  If  some  hard  grains  be 
found,  they  are  taken  out  and  ground,  incorporating  them  afterwards  with  the  mass 
in  the  basin. 

When  the  mass  of  crude  metal  is  thoroughly  cleaned,  it  must  be  dried,  so  as  to 


WASHIXG   AXD   ROASTLXG    THE    ORE.  53 

have  it  in  a  mass  condition.  To  obtain  such  an  effect,  the  crude  metal  is  thrown 
into  a  conical  bag  {manga),  hung  to  a  beam  by  means  of  strong  chains.  The  upper 
part  of  said  bag  is  made  of  hide,  and  of  wool  the  lower  one ;  so  that  the  quicksilver 
may  pass  through  its  interstices.  The  very  weight  of  the  mass  compressed  into 
the  bag  causes  the  quicksilver  to  flow  out;  but,  in  order  to  quicken  the  operation,  the 
bag  is  beaten  with  wooden  mallets,  until  no  quicksilver  comes  out. 

The  mass  is  then  thrown  into  iron  moulds,  to  form  sectors  of  a  cylinder,  called 
viarqiietas  o  hollos  (cakes  or  bars),  afterward  proceeding  to  separate  by  fire  the 
quicksilver  they  may  contain. 

Roasting.  —  The  roasting  is  done  in  an  apparatus,  called  capellina,  consisting  of  a 
circular  cast-iron  or  copper  vessel  called  bacin,  and  inserted  into  the  floor,  which  is 
formed  with  fire-proof  stones  very  well  adjusted  to  each  other  and  to  the  bacin. 
The  superficies  formed  by  those  stones,  which  is  called  planta,  has  also  a  circular 
shape ;  the  stones  being  cut  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  around  the  bacin  a  canal, 
where  water  is  constantly  running  during  the  roasting.  The  bacin  has  at  its  bottom 
an  opening,  through  which  the  quicksilver  separated  by  the  fire-action  escapes  into 
a  cavitv  in  a  sewer  connected  to  a  reservoir,  called  desazogadera,  where  the  condensed 
quicksilver  resulting  from  the  roasting  operation  is  collected. 

An  iron  piece,  called  candelcro,  is  placed  into  the  bacin  ;  said  candelero  consisting  of 
a  ring,  a  disk  with  a  hole  in  its  centre,  both  parts  secured  by  four  iron  rods.  The 
candelero  is  situated  so  that  the  disk  overtops  the  floor.  Over  said  disk  another  one 
IS  placed,  likewise  bored  in  its  centre,  and  caWcd  platillo.  On  the  latter  are  placed 
the  metal  bars,  alternating  their  edges,  and  forming  a  hollow  centred  cylinder  called 
fina,  which  is  covered  by  a  cast-iron,  brass,  or  copper  bell,  carefully  packing  with 
moistened  ashes  the  joints  between  the  bell  and  the  bacin.  Then  the  bell  is  wrapped 
up  with  long  bricks,  leaving  a  hollow  space  to  be  filled  with  coal,  so  that  the  fire 
may  come  in  contact  with  the  bell.  Then  the  fire  is  kindled,  and  kept  burning  dur- 
ing ten  or  twelve  hours.  After  allowing  the  bell  to  cool  itself,  the  cover  is  taken 
away,  and  the  metal  bars  are  found  unmelted,  but  free  from  quicksilver,  provided 
the  operation  be  successful.  In  order  to  be  sure  of  it,  any  moist  body,  for  instance, 
a  piece  of  iron  or  wood,  is  approached  to  the  bars.  Should  the  roasting  be  imper- 
fect, some  quicksilver  vapors  will  condense  on  the  moist  body,  showing  that  the 
operation  ought  to  go  on. 

Extraction  of  Polvillos. — Both  on  scraping  the  arrastres  and  on  washing  the 
amalgam,  a  certain  amount  of  fine  sand  is  obtained,  containing  variable  quantities 
of  silver,  especially  argentine  pyrites,  a  great  deal  richer  in  gold  than  the  ground  ore. 
The  separation  of  those  metallic  parts  is  performed  by  means  of  certain  concentrat- 
ing appai^tus,  called  flanillas,  variable  in  their  form ;  the  more  usual  ones  being 
bo.xes  with  declivious  bottoms,  about  two  metres  long  by  one  metre  wide.  On  the 
upper  part  of  said  bo.xes  the  ore  to  be  concentrated  is  placed;  throwing  to  it  some 
water,  which  drags  down  the  terreous  substances,  leaving  the  powder  on  the  upper 
part,  although  mixed  with  different  substances.  To  get  their  complete  purification, 
it  is  necessary  to  again  and  again  wash  the  residue. 

A  certain  quantity  of  i\\e.  fella  —  escaped  from  the  washing-vats  when  discharging 
them,  or  from  the  troughs  when  purifying  the  cake —  is  likewise  obtained.  The  con- 
centrated portions  are  called  polvillos  (fine  powder),  which  are  ground  again  in  the 
arrastrc,  and  calculated  to  be  used  instead  of  viagisttal ;  or  are  first  calcinated,  and 
afterwards  ground,  in  order  to  extract  from  them  a  part  of  the  gold  and  silver  they 


54 


MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


contain.  As  much  as  two  per  cent  of  the  ore  richness  is  generally  gotten  out  of  the 
folvillos,  although  said  rate  may  vary  according  to  the  kind  of  ore. 

Jit'siilts  obtained  from  the  Rediictioit.  —  The  amount  of  silver  extracted  from  the 
cake,  added  to  the  one  settled  on  the  arrastres  bottom,  is  never  equivalent  to  the 
amount  indicated  by  the  assays  of  the  ground  ore.  There  is  always  a  loss,  amount- 
ing in  normal  circumstances  to  five  or  eight  per  cent ;  it  being  also  noticed,  that,  for 
each  silver  mark  obtained,  ten  or  twelve  pounds  of  quicksilver  are  wasted. 

Of  the  amount  of  gold  indicated  by  the  assay  of  the  ground  ore,  seventy-five  jier 
cent  is  gotten  when  gold  is  pure,  and  no  more  than  forty  per  cent,  even  less,  when  \\\ 
pyrites. 


Afproxitiiate  cost  of  reduciu^^  thirty-t-d)o  hundred  zvei^hf  of  ore  {o7ie  montoti),  the  price 
of  Indian  corn  beiiis^  $i.yj  a  fane^a,  and  15^  cents  the  price  of  twenty-five  pounds  of 
straw .  — 


Crushing: 

Food  for  S  mules,  per  week    .     .  $10  00 

4  laborers '3  5° 

1  driver 5  00 

Wear  and  lear 4  00 

Wages  on  6  nights'  work  ...  19  00 


$51   50 
which,  divided  by  56.25  mpniones  gener- 
ally crushed  in  one  week,  with  24  hours 
as  daily  work,  gives,  as  cost  per  one 
vwiitoti $0  92 


Grinding, 

Food  for  T30  mules,  at  iS%  cents 

per  day,  7  days $17°  62^ 

I  foreman 13  00 

1  second  foreman 7  00 

3  men  for  the  hopper,  at  ^•S-oo    •  9  °o 
5    men    for  the    arrastres,    at 

$4.00 20  00 

3  watchmen,  at  $4.00    ....  12  00 

2  yard-keepers,  at  $3.00    ...  6  00 

I  man  at  the  well 3  00 

170  bottom  flags 10  625^ 

13  runner  stones,  at  $2.50      .     .  32  50 


$283  75 

which,  divided  by  56.25  viontoties,  gives 

per  each  one  of  them 


Yard. 
25  mules  to  stir  100  itiontones  : 

Mules $4  68K 

7  laborers 3  5° 

Per  7itputon,  8  cents,  stirring  14 

times .     .     .       $112 

125  @  salt 2  50 

13  lbs.  sulphate,  at  $12  per  hun- 
dred weight I  56 

1  foreman $5  00 

2  watchmen     ....       10  00 


Say  to  1  ntonton  , 


o  2S      $5  46 


Washing,  Pnrifying,  and  Roasting. 

TO  mules,  4  days *7  5° 

Simdry  expenses 38  00 

8  hundred  weight  coal,  at  75  cents,       6  00 


$5' 


Say  to  a  moiiton  , 


General  Expenses. 

Wages $65  00 

Rent 25  00 

Wear  and  tear  and  sundries  .     .       25  00 


()ii5  00 


To  I  monion 


Cost  of  reducing  i  jnonton $24  15 


REDUCTION    OF    ORES. 

The  fafio  process,  invented  by  the  miner  of  Pachuca,  says  Humboldt,  "is  one  of 
those  chemical  operations  which  for  centuries  have  been  practised  with  a  certain 
degree  of  success,  notwithstanding  the  persons  who  extract  silver  from  ores  by 
means  of  mercury  have  not  the  smallest  acquaintance  either  with  the  nature  of  the 
substances  employed,  or  the  particular  mode  of  their  action.     The  azogneros  speak 


MINING    NOMENCLATURE ;    COINAGE. 


55 


of  a  mass  of  ores  as  of  an  organized  body,  of  which  they  augment  or  diminish  the 
natural  heat.  Like  physicians,  who  in  ages  of  barbarism  divided  all  ailments  and  all 
remedies  into  two  classes,  hot  and  cold,  the  azogzteros  see  nothing  in  ores  but  sub- 
stances which  must  be  heated  by  sulphates  if  they  are  too  cold,  or  cooled  by  alkalies 
if  too  warm." 


SILVER:    SYSTEM    OF  "  BENEFICIATING "  EMPLOYED    (1880). 


States. 

Patio. 
Kilograms. 

TONEL. 

Kilograms. 

LiXIVIACION. 

Kilograms. 

Fl'ego. 
Kilograms. 

Total 

Kilograms 

Pure    Silver. 

Zacatecas 

Guanajuato     .... 

Hidalgo 

San  Luis  Potosi  .     .     . 

Jalisco 

Sonora    

Durango 

Chihuahua 

Sinaloa 

Mexico 

Michoacan 

Oaxaca 

Guerrero 

Puebla 

Queretaro 

109,076  412 

104,310  530 

46,390  335 

30,322  306 

34,222  216 

28  974 

15,800  123 

8,619  534 

5,551   i63 

3,147  353 

2,693  645 

121   721 

20,840  170 
3,663  673 

14,207  727 
1,900  044 

8,341  449 

1,001  091 

28,271  478 

37,516  555 

i8,6So  348 

12,734  574 

17,406  3S0 

6,153  847 

5,762  262 

3,382  358 

24  850 

2,005  612 

712  991 

230  872 

117,417  S6i 

105,311  621 

95,501  983 

67,838  861 

34,222  216 

32,917  049 

28,534  697 

27,925  958 

11,705  015 

8,909  615 

6,076  003 

3,Sio  244 

2,005  612 

712  991 

230  872 

Amount 

360,284  317 

24,503  843 

16,107  771 

142,224  667 

543,120  598 

RfiSU.Mfi. 

Kilograms. 

By  patio  .  360,284  317 

By  tonel 24,503  843 

By  lixiviacion 16,107  77' 

By  fire 142,224  667 


Mining  N'onieticlature.  —  The  following  translations  will  be  found  to  contain  most 
of  the  terms  in  general  use  about  mines  in  Me.xico.  Assessments,  exhibiciones ; 
assay,  ensaye ;  a  claim,  pertenencia ;  blast,  cohete  ;  boiler,  caldera ;  crosscut,  crucero ; 
croppings,  creston  ;  drain,  desaguar  ;  drill-h-^le,  barreno  ;  dividends,  dividendos  ; 
dump  pile,  terreros ;  drill,  taladro ;  dip  of  ledge,  echada  ;  engine,  maquina  de  vapor ; 
extension,  proroga ;  front  wall,  respaldo  alto-,  foot  wall,  respaldo  bajo;  gold,  oro; 
hand-drill,  barrena  ;  hoisting  whim,  malacate;  iron,  hierro;  locating,  denuncio  ;  mill 
and  works,  hacienda;  mine  corners,  mojoneras;  mine,  mina;  ore,  metal;  powder, 
polvora;  pump,  bomba;  quicksilver,  azogue;  shaft,  tiro;  silver,  plata ;  slag,  esco- 
rias ;  shareholders,  accionistas  ;  steam  drill,  perforador ;  tunnel,  socavon  ;  ton,  tone- 
lada;  vein,  veta;  arroba,  25  pounds;  quintal,  100  pounds;  carga,  300  pounds; 
monton,  3,000  pounds ;  marco,  about  ^^8.85 ;  metro,  39.37  inches ;  vara,  2  feet  9 
inches. 


56 


MEXICAN  RESOURCES. 


Laborers  in  an  Ordinary  Afine,  and  their  Average  ^Ft^^d'j- (weekly). —  i  admin is- 
trador,  $25.00;  i  rayador,  $6.00 ;  2  mineros,  at  $6.00;  i  capitan  de  patio,  $5.00;  i 
bartolinero,  $4.00;  i  portero,  $3.50;  2  fierreros,  at  ;?3.5o;  3  veladores,  at  $3.50;  12 
destajeros  (by  the  job),  at  $30.00. 

Day  Laborers.  —  Barrateros  rayados,  62  cents;    peones,  50  cents;    manteros,  75 
cents;  paleros,  $1.00;  cajoneros,  87  cents;  contras,  50  cents;  arreadores,  37  cents,- 
quebradores,  y]  cents;  carretoneros,  40  cents;  corraleros,  31  cents;  garraferos,  31 
cents. 

COINAGE  OF    THE    MEXICAN    MINTS. 

The  mint  of  Mexico  was  established  in  1535,  fourteen  years  after  the  capture  of 
the  Aztec  city,  under  the  first  viceroy  sent  out  from  Spain. 

The  most  careful  estimates,  in  1S76,  placed  the  total  coinage  at  nearly  $3,000,- 
000,000 :  — 


Silver. 

Gold. 

$2,082,260,657 

787,055,080 

5.272.855 

$68,778,411 
47.327.383 

Since  the  independence  (1822  to  1875) 

Coinage  of  copper 

And  we  have  up  to  1875,  in  copper,  silver,  and  gold    .... 

$2,990,694,386 

The  average  annual  coinage  was  at  that  time  (1876)  estimated  at  $20,500,000. 

For  ten  years,  this  would  be  $205,000,000;  making  total  coinage  to  1S85,  $3,195,- 
694,386. 

That  this  estimate  is  not  exaggerated,  we  are  convinced  by  the  actual  returns  for 
the  economic  year  1879,  taken  from  the  government  statistics,  and  presumably 
accurate  :  — 


COINAGE    FOR    THE    YEAR    ENDING  JUNE   30,    1879. 


Mints. 

Gold. 

Silver. 

Copper. 

Total. 

Mexico 

$304,500  00 

$5,116,000  00 

$14,800  00 

$5,435,300  00 

Zacatecas     . 

50,111  00 

4.597.939  5° 

-      - 

4,648,050  50 

Guanajuato 

212,158  00 

3,740,403  75 

- 

3.952,561  7S 

Sail  Luis  Potos 

- 

2,519,110  00 

- 

2,519,110  00 

Guadalajara 

3,830  00 

1,413,161  00 

1,500  00 

1,418,491  00 

Chihuahua  . 

-      - 

806,025  00 

-      - 

806,025  °° 

Culiacan .     . 

49,230  00 

891,951  00 

-      - 

941,181  00 

Durango 

23,935  00 

854,882  50 

-      - 

878,817  so 

Alamos    .     . 

13,700  00 

756,598  15 

-      - 

770,298  IS 

Hermosillo  . 

1,360  00 

555,650  00 

-      - 

S57,oio  00 

Oaxaca   .     . 

3,700  00 

153,610  00 

-      - 

157,310  00 

$662,524  00 

$21,405,330  90 

$16,300  00 

$22,084,154  90 

Cstabllstied    1831. 


Capital    $1,300,000. 


Philip  L.  Aloen,  Chas.  F.  Washburn,  Chas.  H.  Aforgan, 

President  and  Treasurer.  Vice-Pres.  and  Secretary.  General  Superintendent. 

WASHBURN  &  MOEN  MANUFACTURING  CO.. 

WORCESTER,    MASS. 


GROVE   STREET   WORKS,    WORCESTER,    MASS. 

WIRE-DRAWERS 

And  Manufacturers  of   Iron  and  Steel  Wire  of  Every  Description. 


Iron  and  Steel  Telegraph  and  Telephone  Wire, 

Patent  Steel  Wire  Bale  Ties,  Pump    Chains,  Chain    Wire,  Steel   Wire  for  Springs, 

Needles,  and  Drills. 
Send  for  Price-Lists,  Circulars,  and  Descriptive  Pamphlets  on  our  Specialties. 

NEW    YORK    '^^^AUKHOUSE,  CHICAGO    "WAREHOITSE, 

x6  ClifiT  Street.  107  &.  X09  L,ake   St. 


HOWARD,  BULLOUGH,  &  RILEY, 

BUILDERS    AND    IMPORTERS    OF 

ENGLISH    COTTON 
^^MACHINERY,EEE^ 


IMPORTERS   OF 


WOOL,  WORSTED,  AND  FLAX  MACHINERY. 


WORKS, 
ACCRINGTON,  ENGLAND. 


AMERICAN  OFFICES, 
19  PEARL  ST.,  BOSTON,  MASS., 

U.S.A. 


SrECIAI^TlKS. 

Improved  Openers  and  Lappers;  Cards;  Drawing,  Blubbing,  Intermediate  and 
Roving,  Ring-Spinning,  and  Twisting  Frames;  Warpers,  Slashers,  Looms, 

Presses,  etc. ;  Self-Acting  Cotton  and  Woollen  Mules ;  Cards  for  Wool- 
len and  Worsted  ;  Balling-Heads;  and  Bank,  Scotch,  and  Blamire  Feeds. 


We  have  49,000  Intermediate  Spindles  with  Electric  Stop  Motion,  6,000  Warpers  with 
Singleton's  Stop  Motion,  800  Slashers,  at  work  in  America  alone. 

IMPROVED  CARD- 

PULLEYS,  W'TH 

PATENT  CONCENTRK 


SHAFTING 


HANGERS, 

BELTING, 

Etc. 


BEND. 


BEST 

GENERAL 

MILL 

SUPPLIES. 

See  Opposite. 


Estimates  on    CJ'*'  ~^  '  ^"^^jHBH^^^^^^^^^^fcSwi'  '■— "  *  ""  Correspondence 

Request.  ■•""^^5^^^^^^^^^^°°^  solicited. 

CAMJ\    MEJOKAD\    CON    LlK\A    CONc tNTKlC A,    I'ATENTE, 

Tenen  cs  49,000  Husos  Intermedios  con  Movimiento  Electrico  de  Paralizacion,  6,000  Sin- 
gleton's  Hardidores  con  Toque  de  Parada,  800  Engrudadores,  en  Servicio  en  America. 

Aviii 


HOV/ARD.   BULLOUGH,  &   RILEY, 

FABRIC-ANTES    E    IMl'ORTAnORES    OR 

MAQUINARIA    INGLESA    PARA    ALGODON,    LANA,    ESTAMBRE,    Y    LINO. 

Arquitectos  de  Molinos  y  Manufacturas.    Ingemeros  de  los Mismos. 

jaiieres  Oficinas  en  ftmerica. 

ACCRINGTON.  INGL4TERRA  19  PEARL  ST     BOSTON   MASS.  U.S.A. 


Poleas,  Barras.  Cofga(feros,  Correas.  etc..  se  suministra  tocio  util  de  Fdbricas 


Our  MncWnery  can  be  delivered  in  Liverpool  or  Vera  Cru.,  fl^^^;}:^,'^'\l^-^"\^^^^^^ 

EsLimos  promos  a  dar  todo  infonne  respec  to  a     '      '  Re.ni  ase  tor  circuL^.es.     Se  solicha  cirre- 
fabrica  y  la.nbien  suminiMramos  planes  coniplelos,  etc.     Keiiiitase  vor  circui.ues. 
spondencia.     (Vease  la  pagina  opiiesta.)  »'X 


FAIRBANKS'  STANDARD  SCALES. 


Railroad,  Counter,  and  Platform  Scales,  of  all  sizes  and  for 
sistent  with  reliable  work.  The 
manufacturers  have  never  been 
induced  by  competition  to  devi- 
ate from  their  original  purpo.se 
of  making  only  perfect  balances. 
In  view  of  the  very  great 
amount  of  property  which  in  the 
course  of  years  is  weighed  upon 
a  single  scale,  and  the  fact,  that, 
in  ordinary  business,  a  good 
scale  will  last  a  lifetime,  it  is 
obviously  poor  economy  to  risk 
the  purchase  of  any  but  the  best 
for  the  sake  of  a  slight  saving  in 
first  cost.  The  entire  value  of" 
the  weighing-scale  depends  upon  its  accuracy  and  reliability  at  all  times 
only  worthless,  but  may  cause  a  heavy  loss  to  the  user. 

ADAPTED  TO  THE  STAMOAROS  OF  ALL  NATIONS. 


They  are  Correct  in  Principle. 
They  are  Accurate. 
They  are  made  of  Best  Ma- 
terial, and  by  the  Most  Skilful 
and  Careful  Workmen, 

And  they  combine 

EVERY  IMPROVEMENT 

which    the    broad    experience    of   a 
large  business  of  half  a  century  af- 
fords.    Every  variety,  as  Hay,  Coal, 
11   uses,  and  at  the  lowest  prices  con- 


and  any  but  the  best  are  not 


Also  for  sale  IHiJes'S  Alarm  Till,  or  Patent  Safety  Money- 
Drawer,  Store  Trucks  of  all  kinds,  Coffee-3IiHs,  t,et- 
ter-PresseS,  and  other  Store  Furniture;  also  the  HanCOCk 
Inspirator,  the  best  boiler-feeder  in  the  market,  and  the  celebrated 
raper  Polisliing-Wlieels. 


Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co 
Fairbanks  &  Co, 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Co. 
Fairbanks,  Brown,  &  Co 
Fairbanks,  Morse,  &  Co 
Fairbanks,  Morse,  &  Co. 
Fairbanks,  Morse,  &  Co. 
Fairbanks,  Morse,  &  Co. 
Fa!rb.\nks,  Morse,  &  Co. 
Fairbanks  &  Hutchinson 


PRINCIPAL  WAREHOUSES. 


302  and 


311  Broadway,  N.Y. 
17  Light  Street,  Baltimore,  Md. 
53  Camp  Street,  New  Orleans,  La. 
216  Main  Street,  Buftalo,  N.Y. 
382  Broadway,  Albany,  N.Y. 
377  St.  Paul  Street,  Montreal. 
.  .  .  .  London,  England. 
Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Penn. 
48  Wood  Street,  Pittsburg,  Penn. 
iVashington  Avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
I  Blake  Street,  Denver,  Col. 
Meridian  Street,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
.  83  Milk  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
Lake  St.  and  Fifth  Ave.,  Chicago. 
125  Walnut  Street,  Cincinnati,  O. 
103  Superior  Street,  Cleveland,  O. 
Fifth  and  Main  Streets,  Louisville,  Ky. 
.  66  E.  Third  Street,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 
401  Market  Street,  San  Francisco,  CaL 


715 
3°4 
26'S 
Cor, 


Manufactured  solely  by  E.  &  T.  FAIRBANKS  &  CO., 

St.  Johnsbury,  Vermont. 


MEXICAN  COINS,    WEIGHTS  AND   MEASURES.         57 


RfiSUMfi. 

Gold '   .        $662,524  00 

Silver 21,405,330  90 

, $22,067,854  go 

Copper  cents  {ceniavos) 16,300  00 

Totalcoinagein  the  year  (economic)  of  1879 $22,084,15490 

COINAGE. 


Old  Coinage. 

Onza  de  oro  (gold  ounce)       .  16  dollars  =  £,i.o^ 

Media  otiza  o  tioble  pistola    .8       "  =--  1.12 

Pisiola  (one-fourth  onza)       .4       "  =  0.16 

Escudo  de  oro  (%(A6.  escudo) ,  2       "  ^  0.08 

Escudito  de  oro i        "  =  0.04 

Peso  fuerte  de  plata  (silver 

dollar) I        "  =  0.04 

7oi^o«  (silver  half  of  a  dollar),  4  reales  =  0.02' 
Peseta    (silver  quarter  of   a 

dollar) 2       "  =  o.oi 

/??«/ (silver  eighth  of  a  dollar),  i2j^cents=  6J^d. 
Medio   real   (silver  sixteenth 

of  a  dollar) 6J^      " 


Old  Coinage  —  Contiimed. 
Cua  rtilla  (silver  thirty-second  of  a  dollar'* ,  3  cents. 
Tlaco  (copper),  half  of  a  cuartilla. 

New  Coinage. 

Go\A  20  pesos 20  dollars  =  ;^4.o 

V'lece  oi  JO  pesos 10       "  =  2.0 

Piece  of  5 /f j^j 5        "  =  i.o 

S'\\\&T\  {10 diueros 20 grauos),  I        "  =  04 

A  half,  50  ceiiia7'os  ....  50  cents  =  0.2 

A  quarter,  25  ceniavos  ...  25      "  =  o.i 

A  tenth,  10 10      " 

A  twentieth,  5 5      "  =  2j.^d. 

Copper  I I      "  =  i^d. 


Nickel  coins,  in  i,  2,  3,  and  5  cent  denominations,  were  issued  in  1SS3,  but  did  not 
meet  with  favor  fiom  the  people,  who  preferred  silver. 

WEIGHTS    AND    MEASURES. 


IVeig/Us. 

I  onza        (8  ochavos) 

=     I 

ounce. 

I  marco     (8  o>izas) 

=     0Y2 

pound. 

I  libra       (2  tiiarcos) 

=     I 

pound. 

J  arroba    (25  lib r as) 

=    25 

pounds. 

I  quintal  (4  arrobas) 

=  100 

pounds. 

I  carga      (3  quintals) 

=  300 

pounds. 

I  fa7tega     (140  pounds) 

=     2 

bushels,  nearly 

I  alnmer  {almuerza) 

=      oVi 

2  of  a  fanega. 

\  frasco 

=      5 

pints,  nearly. 

Measures. 

I  foot  measures  0.928  foot  English. 

I  vara  (3  feet  Mexican)  equals  2.784  feet  English,  or  2  feet  9.3141  inches  English. 

1  league  (26.63  to  i  meridian)  equals  5,000  varus,  or  2.636  miles  English. 


Nezv  Measures. 

Kilometro  (kilometre)  equals  i,ooo  metres  or  1,086  yards. 
Metro  (metre)  equals  100  centimetres,  or  1  yard  354  inches. 
Centimetro  (centimetre)  equals  2J4  hundredths  to  an  inch. 

The  metric  system  is  legal  in  Mexico,  and  coming  into  general  use,  as  it  should 
be  in  the  United  States  also,  insuring  uniformity  in  weights  and  measures 
throutrhout  the  continent. 


THE  FAVORITE  FAST  TRAINS  OF  THE 


(HoosAC  Tunnel  Route) 


TO     ALL     POINTS     WEST 


Are  equipped  with  New  and  Elegant  Pullman 


&  Sleeping  Cars. 


A  GUIDE  TO  MEXICO. 


ROUTE    I. 


From. 

To. 

Distance. 

Time. 

City  of  Mexico 

City  of  Mexico 

City  of  Mexico 

City  of  Mexico 

3,883  miles. 
3,730  miles. 
2,871  miles. 
2,665  miles. 

172  hours. 

New  York 

162  hours. 
134  hours. 

St.  Louis 

126  hours. 

SPECIMEN    TIME-TABLES. 

(A)  BOSTON,  vi.\  CHICAGO,   TO   CITY   OF   MEXICO. 

routes: 
Eastern  time.  Central  time. 

Leave  Boston  8.30  a.m.  (Hoosac  Tunnel  Route) arr.  Chicago  6.45  2d  p.m. 

"      Boston  6.00  P.M.      .     .  ■ "    Chicago  8.00  2d  A.M. 

"      Chicago  12.30  P.M.  (Burlington  Route) "    Kansas  City       9.00       a.m. 

Mountain  time. 
"      Kansas  City  10.00  A.M.  (via  Atchison,  Topeka,  &  Sta.  Fd),      "    El  Paso  4.30  3d  p.m. 

"      El  Paso  6.30  P.M.  (Paso  del  Norte  7.15) "    City  of  Mexico  7.10  3d  a.m. 


(B)  BOSTON',   VL\   ST.  LOUIS,   TO    CITY   OF    MEXICO. 

routes: 
Leave  Boston  3.00  p.m.  (Hoosac  Tunnel  Route)       .     ,     .     .  arr.  St.  Louis  8.20  2d  a.m. 


St.  Louis         9.00  p.M 

Kansas  City  for  El  Paso,  etc.,  as  in  (.4). 


Kansas  City        9.00       A.M. 


(C) 


BOSTON   AND   NEW    YORK,   TO   CITY   OF   MEXICO. 


Leave  Boston  about  6.00  p.m arr.  New  York 


New  York      (Pennsylvania  Railroad)  8.00  .^.M 

St.  Louis         9.00  p.M 

New  York  9.00  A.M.  (New  York  and  Chicago,  Limited)  . 

New  York  8.00  P.M.  (Hotel  Car,  Pennsylvania  Railroad) 

Chicago  12.30  (Burlington  Route) 

Kansas  City  10.00  a.m 

El  Paso  6.30  p.M 


St.  Louis 
Kansas  City 
Chicago 
Chicago 
Kansas  City 
El  Paso 


7.00  A..M. 

7.30  2d  P.M. 
9.00  A.M. 

10.30  A.M. 
7.50  2d  A.M. 
9.00  AM. 
4.30  3d   P.M. 


City  of  Mexico  7.30  3d  a.m. 
I 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


NEW   YORK    AND    ST.    LOUIS,    TO    CITY    OF    MEXICO, 

In  selecting  an  Eastern  road  over  which  to  travel  westward,  and  eventually  to 
connect  with  the  vast  system  now  opened  into  Mexico,  one  cannot  do  better  than 

to  take  one,  which  from  its  length,  its  per- 
fect road-bed,  its  double  track,  its  steel 
rails,  its  fine  rolling-stock,  and  its  com- 
pleteness of  organization,  should 
be  a  most  desirable  highway  for 
the  oncoming  Mexican  travel. 

THE    PENNSYLVANIA 
RAILROAD 

ad    its    actual    beginning  in  the 
jar    (1S46)    that   first    heard    the 
muttered  thunders  of  the  Mexican 
war;  and  from  its  humble  incep- 
tion, as  a  tributary  to  the  canal 
v'stem  of  Pennsylvania,  it  has  grown 
to  a  magnitude  almost  beyond  belief. 
The  tracks  of  its  main  and  leased  lines 
would,  it  is  said,  if  extended,  reach  from  Phila- 
delphia across  the  Atlantic,  and  through  Europe 
to  China.    The  steel  and  iron  used  in  its  rails  and  rolling- 
stock  would  make,  if  wrought  into  a  single  mass,  a  shaft 
eight  inches  in  circumference,  and  25,000  miles  in  length. 
Over  its  7,000  miles  of  owned  and  leased  lines  roll  1,100 
engines,  and  1,100  passenger-cars,  while  25,000  wellrdrilled  employees  work  in  the 
interests  of  this  gieat  corporation,  the  earnings  of  which  are  said  to  amount  to 
$i,ooo  an  hour. 

Leaving  New  York  at  eight  A.M.,  the  special  St.  Louis  train  speeds  through  a 
country  famous  in  continental  history,  —  Newark,  Trenton,  Philadelphia,  —  and  takes 
one  over  the  richest  agricultural  region  of  Pennsylvania.  Beyond  Harrisburg, 
crossing  the  Susquehanna,  it  enters  the  spurs  of  the  Alleghanies;  later,  winds 
through  the  valley  of  the  Blue  Juniata,  passing  such  picturesque  spots  as  Lew- 
iston,  Tyrone,  Sinking  Springs,  and  Altoona;  and  at  Kittanning  Point,  242  miles 
from  New  York,  the  great  road  winds  around  that  wonder  of  engineering  skill,  the 
Horseshoe  Curve.  At  Allegrippus  "the  majesty  of  the  mountains  seems  to 
culminate,"  and  beyond,  the  great  tunnel  is  entered,  over  2,000  feet  above  the  sea, 
by  which  the  crest  of  the  Alleghanies  is  pierced,  and,  emerging  from  it,  the  descent 
is  commenced  toward  the  plains  of  the  Great  West.  At  the  western  base  of  the 
Alleghanies  are  numberless  attractive  resorts,  as  Conemaugh,  Johnston,  and  the 
Pack-saddle  Narrows,  where  the  road  threads  the  mountain-gorges  amidst  peerless 
scenery;  and  at  Pittsburgh,  the  city  of  coal  and  iron,  the  Pennsylvania  trunk-line 
terminates.  But  its  influence  is  felt  a  thousand  miles  beyond,  and  the  wise  policy 
of  its  founders  in  early  leasing  and  assisting  new  lines  into  the  then  unknown 
West  is  seen  in  the  light  of  to-day,  which  shows  that  its  projectors  builded  even 


^VV>W/'-. 


WESTWARD,  ACROSS   THE   GREAT  PLAINS. 


better  than  they  knew,  and   laid  the  foundation   for  a   \ast,  and  ahiiost   endless 

system,  which  penetrates  the  entire  reejion 

of  the  great  South-west,  and  whose  eastti  n 

portal  now  stands  open  as  the  gate\\a\  t 

Mexico.     Crossing  Ohio,  Indiana, 

and     Illinois,     the     train     finally 

reaches   St.   Louis  at  7.30  of  the 

evening  of  the  second  day  from 

New  York.      In  the  great  Union 

Depot,  transfer  is  made  by  merely 

stepping  from  track  to  track,  and 

taking  a  car  of  the  Chicago  and 

Alton,  or  the  Missouri  Pacific,  at 

nine  p.m.  ;  and,  after  a  comfortable 

night  in  the  "  sleeper,"  one  arrives 

in    Kansas   City   at   nine    in    the 

morning.    Another  change  is  made 

here  in  the  fine  Union  Depot,  and 

an  hour  later,  at  ten,  one  is  settled  drwving  room  car, 

for  a  ride  of  fifty-four  hours  and  ''^^^   ^  "• 

1,157    miles,  which   can   be   made 

without  leaving  the  car,  until  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Mexican  boundary,  is  reached. 

From  Chicago  (where  change  is  made  in  Union  Depot  for  cars  of  the  Burling- 
ton Route)  the  time  is  about  twenty  hours  to  Kansas  City,  where  connection  is 
completed  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 

Just  thirty  years  ago,  the  Rev.  E.  E.  Hale  wrote,  in  a  little  book  on  Kansas, 
"There  is  not  at  this  moment  (Aug.  i,  1854)  a  tcram  or  village  of  -whites  in  Kansas 
or  Nebraska."  Were  this  not  history,  it  would  seem  most  incredible,  in  view 
of  the  present  condition  of  this  great  and  flourishing  State,  with  its  thousands  of 
churches  and  schoolhouses,  its  cities  and  progressive  population. 

The  belief  of  this  talented  writer,  that  "the  Territory  of  Kansas,  from  its  posi- 
tion, is  the  great  geographical  centre  of  the  internal  commerce  of  the  United 
States,"  was  shared  in,  at  a  later  period,  by  other  intelligent  citizens  of  Boston; 
and  it  is  to  the  foresight  of  these  men  that  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe, 
and  the  Mexican  Central  railroads,  form  one  great  system,  extending  from  the 
Missouri  River  to  the  Aztec  capital,  a  distance  of  over  2,300  miles.  It  was  some 
seventeen  years  ago  that  a  few  enterprising  men  interested  themselves  in  the 
railroads  of  Kansas,  then  in  their  infancy ;  but  it  was  considered  a  great  risk  even 
to  build  the  road  which  was  to  connect  the  Missouri  River  with  Topeka.  But 
these  few  capitalists  evolved  from  chaos  a  liberal  and  successful  corporation:  "the 
infant  soon  became  a  giant,"  and  has  been  the  most  important  factor  in  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  that  vast  country  lying  between  the  two  great  rivers, 
the  Missouri  and  the  Rio  Grande.  It  has  lent  a  helping  hand  to  the  farmers  of  the 
prairies  of  Kansas,  the  stock-men  on  the  plains  of  Colorado,  and  the  miners  in 
the  mountains  of  New  Mexico.  To  every  business,  to  every  industry,  this  benefi- 
cent corporation  extended  aid,  and  while  its  engines  chased  the  Indian  and  the 
buffalo  from  the  fertile  prairies,  and  spanned  the  arid  wastes  of  desert,  the  settlers 
who  followed  in  the  wake  of  its  engineers  were  encouraged  to  build  homes,  to 


A    GUIDE    rO  MEXICO. 


erect  schools   and  churches;  and  thus  it  is  that  along  this  road  we  see  thrift  and 
enterprise,  and  a  New-England  spirit  of  culture  in  its  population.     No  road  in  this 


country  has  proved  so  bene- 
carefully   provided  for   the 


SLEEPING-CAR,    PENN.    R.R. 


ficial  to  its  supporters,  and  has  so 
comfort  of  its  patrons.  From  its 
source  to  its  ending,  it  has  built 
elegant  stations,  and  at  convenient 
intervals  provided  commodious 
and  comfortable  hotels  and  din- 
ing-halls,  at  each  of  which  a  full 
half-hour  is  allowed  for  the  dis- 
cussing of  a  long  and  varied  memi. 
This  great  road,  with  nearly 
2,000  miles  of  track,  its  hundreds 
of  cars  and  engines,  and  thorough- 
ness of  equipment  for  the  safety 
and  comfort  of  passengers,  is  most 
wisely  controlled  by  young  and 
enterprising  men,  whose  extraor- 
dinary penetration  and  grasp  of  affairs 
keep  this  gigantic  corporation  ahead  of  the 
requirements  of  the  age.  Although  an  in- 
dependent and  totally  distinct  corporation, 
yet  its  animating  spirit  is  in  harmony  with 
that  which  pervades  the  great  Pennsylvania  Road ;  for  likewise  it  has  constantly 
encouraged  the  building  of  tributary  lines,  until  its  iron  fingers  extend  over  half  a 
dozen  great  States  and  Territories,  and  progress  and  civilization  follow  as  surely  in 
its  wake,  as  fertility  the  rill  from  the  river  in  a  desert  region. 

But  for  the  settled  purpose  of  the  writer  of  these  pages,  not  to  diverge  until  the 
goal  is  reached  (the  City  of  Mexico),  Kansas,  with  its  numerous  streams,  its  illim- 
itable prairie  ranches,  its  prosperous  towns,  growing  so  rapidly  that  their  aspect 
constantly  changes,  would  stop  us  to  wonder  a  hundred  times. 

A  road  of  the  same  standard  gauge  as  those  in  the  East,  solid  and  smooth, 
conducts  us  across  the  entire  length  of  Kansas.  From  the  time  we  leave  the 
union  depot  at  Kansas  City,  until  farewell  is  said  to  the  United  States  at  El  Paso, 
there  is  a  constantly  shifting  series  of  views,  —  "prairie,  plain,  plateau,  peak,  and 
pueblo."  At  Lawrence,  as  the  train  speeds  by,  one  can  see  the  noble  buildings 
of  the  University  of  Kansas  looking  down  upon  the  "  most  beautiful  city  of  the 
West,"  — an  historic  city,  for  here  was  the  first  free-state  settlement,  and  here 
began  the  great  antislavery  struggle.  "It  is  peaceful  enough  now;  but  it  numbers 
among  its  citizens  men  who  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  John  Brown,  or 
looked  into  the  barrels  of  Quantrell's  rifles."  Not  far  off  is  Topeka,  a  bright  and 
enterprising  city  of  25,000,  beyond  which  the  road  dips  southward,  and  reaches 
the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  keeping  the  great  river  company  nearly  the  entire 
breadth  of  the  State,  through  scenery  which  in  springtime  may  be  called  the 
fairest  in  the  West.  At  Coolidge  the  road  leaves  Kansas,  and  at  La  Junta  takes 
a  departure  from  the  Arkansas,  and  strikes  southward,  across  a  corner  of  Colorado, 
and  enters  New  Mexico.  Passengers  from  Pueblo,  Colorado  Springs,  Denver, 
Leadville,  and  even  from   Salt  Lake  City  and  far-off  San  Francisco,  can  join  the 


CHICAGO   TO    MEXICO. 


THROUGH  KANSAS  AND   NEW  MEXICO. 


5 


train  at  La  Junta,  and  continue  on  into  old  Mexico,  for  here  the  wonderful  Denver 
and  Rio  Grande  Railroad  comes  down  from  its  mountain  fastnesses,  and  unites 
the  "  Central  Pacific  "  system  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe. 


ON   THE   SANTA    FE   TRAIL. 


IN    NEW   MEXICO 

we  find  ourselves  entering  territory  once  pertaining  to  the  Mexican  Republic,  a 
portion  of  that  New  Spain  obtained  for  the  Spanish  crown  through  the  prowess 
of  Cortes,  and  described  by  Humboldt.  Here  we  shall  more  particularly  observe 
the  country  —  for  it  is  radically  different  from  Kansas  and  Colorado  —  and  the 
people  and  architecture,  which  are  alike  strange  and  interesting.  Almost  rectan- 
gular in  shape,  the  territory  of  New  Mexico  has  an  area  of  121,200  square  miles, 
and  contains  a  population  of  130,000  whites,  about  8,000  Pueblo,  and  nearly  as 
many  more  nomadic  Indians. 

From  the  time  of  our  entrance  into  the  territory,  we  shall  observe  a  varied  and 
wonderful  landscape,  —  high  and  rugged  mountains,  as  at  Raton  Pass,  most  pic- 
turesque 7nesas  or  table-lands,  deep  cafions,  and  wide-stretching  plains.  The 
mountains  are  covered  with  timber,  the  plains  destitute  of  trees,  while  in  the 
valleys,  by  means  of  irrigation,  are  raised  bountiful  crops  of  the  fruits  and  vege- 
tables of  the  temperate  zone.  From  the  mountains,  which  are  spurs  of  the  Rockies, 
and  are  reputed  rich  in  ores  of  silver,  copper,  iron,  and  gold,  come  down  the 
streams  produced  by  the  melting  snows,  but  for  which  the  plains  of  the  northern 
portion  of  New  Mexico  would  be  but  arid  wastes.  Chief  of  these  is  the  Rio  Grande, 
a  turbid  river,  which  has  been  called  the  Nile  of  America,  as  its  waters  have 
fertilized  so  many  lands,  and  which,  nearly  1,500  miles  in  length,  after  crossing  the 
territory,  forms  the  entire  boundary  line  between  Texas  and  Mexico.     Although 


6 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


much  has  been  claimed  for  New  Mexico  in  the  way  of  natural  wealth,  we  cannot 
affirm  that  it  possesses  any  greater  attraction  than  its  climate,  which  is  indeed  a 
glorious  one,  filling  the  year  with  bright,  sparkling  days,  and  making  it  an  elysium 
for  people  afflicted  with  bilious  disorders  or  pulmonary  complaints.  At  no  place 
in  New  Mexico  —  or,  in  fact,  in  the  great  South-west — is  there  such  a  sanitarium 
of  nature's  own  creating,  aided  by  man's  efforts,  as  at  the  Hot  Springs  of  Las 
Vegas,  reached  at  a  point  125  miles  south  of  the  Colorado  line,  and  777  miles  west 
of  Atchison,  among  the  foothills  of  the  Spanish  mountains.  More  than  a  score 
of  thermal  springs  lie  hidden  in  a  little  valley,  protected  on  every  side  from  the 
penetrating  winds  that  sometimes  sweep  the  bleak  plains.     They  contain  sulphate 


LAS   VEGAS    HOT   SPRINGS. 


and  chloride  of  sodium,  with  traces  of  iodine,  bromine,  and  lithium,  while  the  bog 
through  which  their  waters  have  for  centuries  percolated  yields  that  curious  silt 
used  in  the  "  mud  baths  "  so  efficacious  in  the  treatment  of  cutaneous  diseases. 

In  this  mountain  valley  a  great  hotel  was  erected,  a  few  years  ago,  at  an  expense 
of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  containing  250  rooms,  heated  by  steam, 
and  lighted  with  gas,  with  numerous  appointments  for  the  comfort  of  guests,  and 
such  sanitary  provisions,  that  it  was  declared  to  be  "  a  most  delightful  resting-place 
on  the  southern  route  across  the  continent."  Baths  in  every  variety  —  medicated, 
electrical,  Turkish,  vapor,  with  sprays  and  douches  —  are  administered  by  experienced 
medical  attendants,  while  all  the  establishments  in  this  miniature  Saratoga  are 
supplied  with  water  from  the  mountain-springs  above,  pure  as  the  air  which  fills 
the  lungs,  and  brings  tonic  to  the  systems  of  patients  who  seek  here  the  fountain  of 
rejuvenescence.     The  first  hotel  built  here  by  the  railroad  company  was  destroyed 


SPRINGS  OF  LAS   VEGAS. 


bv  fire.  In  January,  1SS4,  but  it  was  soon  rebuilt  in  a  manner  absolutely  fireproof; 
and  the  second  "  Montezuma  "  awaits  tlie  coming  of  the  health-seeker  from  every 
part  of  the  United  States.  Above  the  springs  and  the  hotels  and  cottages,  a 
picturesque  ravine  leads  far  into  the  hills,  toward  cold  mountain  ponds,  said  to 
abound  in  trout,  where  the  hillsides  are  covered  with  forests  of  pines,  presumably 
the  abode  of  game,  and  certainly  delightful  spots  for  the  camper-out.  The  Arkan- 
sas valley,  through  which  we  passed  in  coming  here,  teems  with  certain  game  in 
the  season ;  and  all  along  the  line,  by  branching  off  into  the  mountains,  one  may 
hunt  for  the  red  and  black  tail  deer,  mountain  grouse  and  sheep,  cinnamon  and 
black  bear,  the  plumed  quail  and  wild  turkey,  and  perchance  come  upon  an  elk^ 
or  a  "  mountain  lion." 
Every  thing  here  is  ton- 
ic and  bracing ;  there 
are  no  enervating  influ- 
ences, such  as  counter- 
act the  benefits  derived 
from  the  hot  -  springs 
and  health-resorts  of 
other  States.  A  well- 
known  physician,  wilt- 
ing to  a  paper 
in  Cincinnati, 
gives  his  opin- 
ion of  these 
springs,  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"The  climate 
of  Las  Vegas  is 
the  general  cli- 
mate of  the  east- 
ern slope  of  the 
Rocky  Moun- 
tains,   modified  "  ■*"'' 

favorably  by  its  sheltered  position.  At  6,767  feet  above  the  sea-level  they  are  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  higher  than  Denver,  and  three  hundred  feet  lower  than  Santa 
Fe.  They  are  nearly  on  a  level  with  Manitou,  and  are  seven  hundred  feet  higher 
than  Trinidad.  The  winters  are  mild.  Snow  rarely  falls,  and,  when  it  comes,  lies 
only  three  or  four  hours.  Whole  months  go  by  in  winter  without  rain  or  snow. 
Under  a  cloudless  sky,  with  radiation  unchecked  by  vapor,  the  nights  are  cool  in 
summer,  and  positively  cold  in  winter,  yet  the  thermometer  knows  no  zero,  and,  it  is 
said,  never  touches  90°  in  summer.  The  annual  rainfall  is  not  more  than  twelve 
inches  per  annum,  and  a  great  portion  of  this  is  thrown  down  in  July  and  August. 

"  It  is  impossible  by  words  to  give  an  idea  of  that  sort  of  purity  which  the  eye 
recognizes  in  the  air  of  the  plains  and  the  mountains  near.  It  is  so  translucent  that 
distances  are  always  amiss ;  the  new-comer  having  no  power  to  estimate  by  aerial 
perspective  whether  an  object  is  five  miles  distant,  or  fifty.  Its  diathermancy  is  such, 
that  one  is  never  cold  in  direct  sunlight.  While  it  is  certainly  true  that  more  light 
is  received  here  per  diem  than  in  any  portion  of  the  United  States,  it  is  also  true 


MEXIt  \N    ADOIfc,    HUT. 


(^Ptrjiussion  Missouri  Facific  Ry) 


8  A    GUIDE    TO  MEXICO. 

that  there  are  more  sunny  days.  From  Denver  to  Santa  Fe.at  the  broad  and  vague 
line  where  mountain  and  plain  meet,  there  are  only  three  or  four  days  in  each  year 
whereon  the  sun  does  not  shine.  The  clouds  are  few  and  the  sun  shows  himself 
more  than  three  hundred  and  sixty  days  in  each  year." 

A  short  branch  connects  the  main  line  with  the  Springs,  turning  off  at  the  thriv- 
ing town  of  Las  Vegas ;  and  sixty  miles  beyond,  at  Lamy,  another  branch  diverges 
to  the  town  of  Santa  Fe,  about  midway  between  which  points  the  road  passes 
within  sight  of  the  Pueblo  of  Pecos,  the  most  ancient  of  Indian  villages,  and  the 
traditional  birthplace  of  one  of  the  Montezumas. 

Santa  Fe  is  the  oldest  town  within  the  present  limits  of  the  United  States,  con- 
taining the  "oldest  house  in  the  country,"  "the  oldest  church,"  and  a  "palace," 
once  the  abode  of  Spanish  viceroys.  One  of  those  sturdy  pioneers  who  visited 
Santa  Fe  when  under  Mexican  dominion,  when  only  accessible  by  the  dangerous 
"Santa  Fe  trail,"  declared  that  it  resembled  "a  fleet  of  flatboats  moored  to  a  moun- 
tain;" and  another  has  compared  the  adobe  houses  to  "kilns  of  unburned  bricks." 
With  the  exception  of  the  stores  around  the  plaza,  and  the  houses  of  the  wealthy, 
Santa  Fe  is  mainly  composed  of  mud  huts,  one-story  adobes,  built  after  the  Mexican 
fashion,  each  around  its  central  square,  or  flacita,  with  clay  floors,  and  flat  clay 
roofs.  The  windows,  until  recently, — if  any  existed,  —  were  oftener  of  mica  than 
glass.  There  was  little  furniture :  a  bench  of  clay  running  around  one  side  of 
the  room  formed  a  seat  and  bed,  while  the  fireplace  was  in  one  corner.  In  fact,  the 
dwellings  of  the  natives  of  New  Mexico  are  merely  improved  Indian  houses  such 
as  are  found  throughout  the  border  region  of  Mexico.  The  food,  the  religion,  and 
customs  of  the  people,  are  Mexican,  not  even  excepting  the  decided  preference  for 
the  burro,  or  donkey,  as  a  means  of  conveyance. 

One  redeeming  feature  of  Santa  Fe  is  its  large  and  handsome  palace  hotel,  and 
another  is  its  climate;  while  its  ancient  "cathedral  "  of  San  Miguel,  a  mud  church 
built  in  1590,  and  its  other  buildings  savoring  of  antiquity,  make  up  its  list  of 
attractions.  The  "  tertio-millenial,"  or  333d  anniversary  of  its  first  settlement,  was 
most  appropriately  celebrated  in  1883.  Santa  Fe's  history  is,  however,  sufficient 
of  itself  to  attract  hither  numerous  pilgrims,  for  its  site  was  visited  by  Europeans 
within  twenty  years  after  the  discovery  of  Mexico ;  and  the  soldiers  of  the  adven- 
turous Coronado  here  found  a  people  quite  as  civilized  as  the  Aztecs. 

The  native  races,  the  Pueblos,  —  so  called  because  they  were  found  living  in  pueb- 
los or  villages, — were  subjugated,  but  rebelled  in  i68o,  and  drove  the  Spaniards 
from  the  country,  though  they  were  again  reduced  to  submission.  In  the  early  part 
of  this  century  it  was  the  objective  point  of  the  long  caravans  that  wended  their 
way  thither  from  the  far-distant  Missouri,  making  the  Santa  Fe  trail  an  historic 
feature  of  the  South-west. 

In  1S48  New  Mexico  was  annexed  to  the  United  States,  becoming  part  of  that 
country,  though  it  still  retains  all  the  characteristics  of  a  Mexican  territory. 

THE     RAILROADS    OF    NEW    MEXICO 

at  the  opening  of  the  year  1884  exceeded  a  total  aggregate  length  of  1,100  miles, 
although  not  a  single  mile  was  in  operation  in  1880.  Nearly  800  miles  are  controlled 
by  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe,  with  5S7  in  its  main  line,  and  200  in  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific.  Nine  hundred  miles  from  the  Missouri  River  is  the  flourishing 
town  of  Albuquerque,  which,  though  its  first  buildings  were  erected  in  1S80,  now 


THE   PUEBLOS.  9 

contains  10,000  inhabitants,  has  five  hotels,  an  opera-house,  gas  and  electric  lights, 
and  expended  $400,000  in  new  structures  in  18S3  alone.  Here  the  St.  Louis  and 
San  Francisco  line  crosses  our  path,  the  western  division  of  which,  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific,  forms  the  extension  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  system  to 
California. 

Could  we  diverge  at  this  point  from  our  direct  journey  into  Mexico,  we  should 
penetrate  a  region  yet  more  wonderful  than  that  we  have  already  passed  over ;  we 
should  discover  ourselves  in  the  heart  of  that  country  selected  by  the  ancient 
Pueblos  as  their  home ;  should  pass  such  fascinating  Indian  towns  as  Isleta,  Laguna, 
Acoma,  with  its  village  on  a  mesa  250  feet  high,  an  impregnable  fortress ;  at  the  sta- 
tion of  Fort  Wingate  could  take  conveyance  for  Zuni,  which  Mr.  Cushing  has  made 
known  to  the  world,  or  visit  the  great  natural  monument,  the  "  Navajo  Church,"  or 
Pyramid  Rock,  another  titanic  structure.  Still  beyond,  a  day's  ride  on  horseback 
north,  is  the  agency  of  Navajo  Indians,  skilled  in  agriculture  and  weaving.  Twenty 
miles  from  the  station  of  Holbrook  is  a  petrified  forest  covering  1,800  acres,  seventy 
miles  north-west  of  which  is  Cataract  Canon,  where  a  stream  falls  over  a  precipice 
1,800  feet  high ;  north  of  Winslow  station  are  the  curious  Moquis  Indians,  and  re- 
markable cliff-dwellings ;  at  Cafion  Diablo,  on  this  line,  is  a  bridge  540  feet  long, 
spanning  a  chasm  225  feet  deep ;  around  Flagstaff  are  magnificent  forests,  with 
natural  parks,  where  hunting  and  fishing  may  be  found ;  and  at  Peach  Springs  one 
may  leave  the  train,  and  penetrate  to  the  heart  of  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Colora- 
do, twenty  miles  distant,  through  a  gradually  descending  gorge  called  Diamond 
Wash,  and  behold  the  sullen  waters  of  the  imprisoned  Colorado  flowing  between  its 
mile-high  walls  of  rock. 

THE    PUEBLOS. 

We  can  take  but  a  passing  glimpse  of  those  wonderful  adobe  structures  of 
the  semi-civilized  Indians  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  which  prepare  us  for  the 
more  remarkable  ancient  buildings  to  be  found  in  Old  Mexico.  Pecos  lies  near 
the  line,  between  Las  Vegas  and  Santa  Fe,  from  which  latter  point  may  be  reached 
Taos,  and  several  others,  less  interesting ;  while  near  Wallace  (where  there  is  a 
good  hotel)  is  a  fine  and  typical  pueblo,  San  Domingo ;  also  at  San  Felipe,  Isleta, 
and  at  various  other  points.  To  the  average  tourist,  these  remains  of  Indian 
civilization  will  doubtless  prove  more  interesting  than  the  modern  towns,  which 
are  so  rapidly  growing  into  importance  all  along  the  great  railroad. 

At  Rincon,  1,080  miles  from  the  Missouri,  the  passenger  for  Sonora  and  the 
Gulf  of  California  diverges  from  the  main  line,  and  at  Deming,  1,149  miles,  a  place 
of  remarkable  growth,  makes  connection  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Road  to  Benson 
(a  busy  mining-centre,  1,323  miles),  whence  the  Me.xico  and  Arizona  and  Sonora 
Railroads  complete  the  distance  to  Guaymas,  1,676  miles.  Objects  of  interest 
along  this  route  are  the  mining-towns,  as  Tombstone  and  Contention  ;  the  plains  of 
Sonora;  the  Mexican  towns ;  the  scenery  about  Hermosillo  (1,586  miles),  its  Hill 
of  the  Bell,  and  lovely  orange-gardens ;  and  the  magnificent  harbor  of  Guaymas, 
whence  steamers  depart  for  the  lower  Mexican  coast,  and  infrequent  sailing-vessels 
for  Lower  California. 

Running  directly  southward  from  Rincon,  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe 
passes  through  scenery  unrelieved  by  any  notable  objects,  until  El  Paso  is  entered 
(1,157  miles),  and  the  Rio  Grande  is  reached,  which  separates  the  territories  of  the 


lO 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


two  republics.  Here  is  a  thriving  and  progressive  town,  born  of  railway  activity, 
with  good  hotels,  large  stores,  and  excellent  buildings.  Four  lines  —  the  Texas- 
Pacific  from  the  East;  the  Galveston,  Harrisburg,  and  San  Antonio  from  the 
South-east ;  the  Southern  Pacific  from  the  West ;  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka,  and 
Santa  Fe  from  the  North — concentre  here;  all  having  fine  stations,  and  valuable 
property.  The  scenery  about  is  not  interesting,  though  peculiar  and  pleasing; 
brown  and  detached  ridges  rising  above  plains  dotted  along  the  Rio  Grande  with 
trees  and  vineyards.     The  great  river,  here  of  varying  breadth,  according  to  the 

season,  is  spanned  by 
substantial  bridges, 
which  connect  with  a 
Mexican  town  of  an- 
cient date,  —  Paso  del 
Norte,  founded  two 
hundred  years  ago, 
and  containing  5,000 
inhabitants.  The  build- 
ings of  the  Mexican 
Central  are  the  finest 
in  this  place ;  but  the 
old  church,  the  adobe 
houses,  the  aceqiiias 
(or  irrigating  canals), 
and  the  vineyards  will 
attract  attention. 
Change  is  made  at  El 
Paso ;  and  the  cars  con- 
tinue on  into  Mexico, 
over  a  road  virtually  an 
extension  of  the  same 
system  as  the  one  just 
described. 


THE   KIO   GRANDE,    NEAK   EL   PASO. 

(0«  the  Texas-Pacific  Ry.) 


Southward  from  El  Paso,  225  miles,  lies  the  city  of  Chihuahua  (Chee-wah-wah), 
reached  over  a  route  through  desolate  sand-hills  at  first,  and  latterly  a  vast  grazing 
ground.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  State,  and  its  only  city  of  note,  with  about  18,000 
inhabitants.  Its  houses  are  of  a  single  story,  as  a  rule,  with  thick  walls,  grated 
windows,  and  open  courts,  with  rooms  from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet  in  height. 
The  city  enjoys  a  delightful  climate,  rarely  above  70°  in  the  shade,  the  thick  house- 
walls  admirably  protecting  from  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  Epidemics  and  fevers 
are  unknown ;  the  pure  air  is  conducive  to  health  and  longevity.  To  the  recently 
arrived  Americans  are  due  the  many  new  industries  of  Chihuahua,  which  draws 
its  supplies  from  the  distant  cities  of  the  United  States.  A  horse-railway  connects 
the  station  with  the  town,  a  mile  distant.  Objects  of  interest:  the  great  and 
handsome  church,  an  old  convent,  the  monument  to  Hidalgo,  chapel  of  Guadalupe, 
the  aqueduct  (three  and  one-half  milas  long),  the  upper  and  lowtr  faseos,  the  cen- 
tral plaza  with  its  fine  fountain,  the  market,  public  swimming-bath,  reduction-works 
(near  the  city),  the  Santa  Rosalia  mines  (six  miles  distant)  which  have  yielded 
fabulously  in  the  past,  and  the  beautiful  hacienda  of  Don  Enrique  Miiller  (two 
miles  away).     Hotels :  United  States,  and  American,  three  dollars  per  day. 


THE   RIO    GRANDE;    CHIHUAHUA.  II 

Taking  a  direction  southward,  a  little  westerly,  the  railroad  runs  to  a  point  on 
the  Durango  border-line,  not  far  distant  from  a  cluster  of  famous  mining-villages. 
Halfway  to  the  line,  it  passes  near  Santa  Rosalia,  where  are  some  celebrated 
hot-springs.  About  a  day's  ride  by  diligence,  west  of  the  railroad  at  Huajuquilla, 
is  Parral,  a  thrifty  mining-town,  with  a  flower-adorned  plaza  and  a  fair  hotel. 

The  general  character  of  the  great  plateau  through  Chihuahua,  Durango,  and 
Zacatecas,  is  sterile,  and  to  the  eye  forbidding;  and  the  lack  of  fuel  and  water  will 
keep  it  so,  though  rich  mines  here  and  there  have  created  prosperous  towns. 
The  plateau  along  which  the  railroad  takes  its  course  has  not  its  like,  probably, 
in  the  world,  as  it  runs,  without  an  important  obstruction,  from  Santa  Fe  in  New 
Mexico  to  the  Aztec  capital.     The  following  altitudes  illustrate  this:  — 

Santa  Fe,  7,047  feet  above  the  sea;    Paso  del  Norte,  on  Rio   Grande,  3,815; 
Chihuahua,  4,273;    Durango,    6,848;    Fresnillo,    6,244;    Zacatecas,  8,038;     Aguas 
Calientes,   6,262;    Lagos,   6,376;    Leon,    6,000;    Silao,    5,911;    Guanajuato,   6,836;. 
Salamanca,  5,761 ;  Celaya,  6,017;  Queretaro,  6,362;  San  Juan  del  Rio,  6,490;  Tula, 
6,733 ;  Mexico,  7,469. 

Off  the  line  of  road,  in  an  obscure  corner  of  Durango,  is  the  small  though  rich 
town  of  Mapimi,  famous  for  its  mines  of  gold,  silver,  and  lead.  The  capital  of  the 
State,  Durango,  lies  to  the  westward  of  the  road,  with  which  it  is  connected  by 
stages.  It  was  founded  by  the  Viceroy  Velasco,  in  1559,  previous  to  which  time 
it  was  a  frontier  post  erected  against  the  Northern  Lidians.  It  contains  about 
28,000  inhabitants^has  regular  streets,  shaded  walks,  and  plazas,  watered  by  a  large 
spring  ;  some  beautiful  bridges  span  a  fine  stream;  its  cathedral  is  celebrated  for  its 
richness  of  ornament;  its  "palace  "  is  large;  its  markets  are  excellent;  its  schools 
(eighty-nine  in  the  State)  are  well  cared  for;  its  institute  (InstiiJito  Juarez)  has  250 
students;  another  (for  girls),  150;  and  it  has  a  Monte/io,  or  government  pawn- 
shop, like  the  City  of  Mexico.  The  climate  of  Durango  is  cool  and  healthy,  the 
soil  fertile  in  watered  valle)-s,  but  generally  sterile.  A  wild  country  stretches 
southward  to  Sombrerete,  a  great  mining-town  with  20,000  people,  where  in 
olden  times  bonanzas,  the  richest  in  America,  have  been  extracted  from  its  famous 
veta  negra,  or  black  vein,  of  silver.  It  lies  on  the  old  wagon-trail ;  but  the  railroad 
leaves  it  to  the  east,  and  at  Fresnillo  strikes  another  great  mining-centre,  with 
28,000  population.  The  hills  about  this  town  are  full  of  mines  which  have  been 
rich,  whatever  their  condition  now.  A  share  which  the  government  once  held  in 
one  yielded  an  annual  revenue  of  $500,000;  but  Santa  Anna  when  in  power,  eager 
to  possess  all  the  golden  eggs  at  once,  sold  its  interest  for  less  than  one  year's 
income.  Around  Fresnillo,  and  north  and  east,  to  Catorce  and  San  Luis  Potosi, 
stretches  a  "  waste  and  sterile  moorland,  almost  treeless,  with  little  natural  vege- 
tation save  the  mesquite,  with  only  an  occasional  hacienda  to  be  met  with,  and 
the  people  collected  in  the  crowded  mining-towns."  Such  is  the  approach  to 
Zacatecas,  capital  of  the  State,  with  a  population  of  64,000.  This  populous  city 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  richest  mines  of  Mexico. 

Zacatecas  is  a  mountain  country  of  the  high  plateau,  cut  up  by  spurs  of  the 
Cordillera,  and  mostly  arid  and  inhospitable.  The  region  between  San  Luis  Potosi 
and  Sombrerete,  and  Mazapil  and  Zacatecas,  is  a  broad  plain,  interspersed  with 
a  few  swelling  knolls,  and  an  occasional  group  of  hills  or  mountains.  The  country 
is  unusually  dry ;  and  water-tanks,  wells,  and  reservoirs  are  important  features  of  an 
estate,  and  noteworthy  objects  to  the  traveller  in  this  arid  region.     Zacatecas,  the 


12 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


capita],  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  an  abrupt  and  picturesque  porphyritic  mountain, 
upon  the  rugged  summit  of  which  is  jierched  a  neat  church  and  a  small  fortress. 
Its  streets  are  short  and  crooked;  its  public  buildings,  especially  the  mint,  city-hall, 
and  cathedral,  arc  magnificent  edifices.  Hotels  :  Diligencias,  Comercio,  Zacatecano. 
The  hillsides  are  full  of  mines,  and  also  the  town  itself;  one  having  been  opened 
in  the  Alameda.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  Zacatecas  will  not  attract  the  tourist  any 
more  than  the  uninviting  cities  Durango  and  Chihuahua,  to  the  north  of  it;  but 
to  those  who  would  study  the  processes  by  which  the  wealth  of  the  Sierra  Madre 


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FOUNTAIN   AT  CHIHUAHUA. 

(Engraved /or  Missouri-Pacific  Ry.) 


is  torn  from  the  bosom  of  the  vast  mountain-chain,  this  and  the  other  cities 
mentioned  will  ever  be  interesting. 

About  thirty  miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  capital  are  the  remarkable  ruins 
of  Quemada,  on  the  Cerro  de  los  Edificios,  about  five  miles  north  of  the  town  of 
Villanueva.  These  constitute  one  of  the  largest  groups  north  of  the  Mexican 
Valley,  and  are  supposed  to  indicate  an  Aztec  resting-place  during  the  long  migra- 
tion of  that  people  southward. 

From  Zacatecas,  it  is  io6  kilometres  to  Aguascalientes,  capital  of  the  State'of 
that  name,  which  formerly  constituted  a  part  of  Zacatecas,  more  celebrated  for 
its  agriculture  than  for  its  mines.  It  is  famous  for  the  number  of  hot-springs  which 
surround  the  town.     These  thermal  waters,  in  fact,  give  the  state  and  town  its 


GREAT  CITIES   OF   THE  PLATEAU.  1 3 

name, —  Aguascalientes  (hot  water  or  springs).  The  city  contains  35,000  inhabit- 
ants, and  is  well  supplied  with  factories,  schools,  and  colleges.  A  thriving  city 
west  of  the  railroad  is  San  Juan  de  los  Lagos,  situated  in  a  deep  ravine,  little 
above  the  surface  of  the  river.  It  is  mainly  composed  of  mud  huts ;  though  its 
large  and  beautiful  church,  dedicated  to  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  is  famous 
throughout  the  country.  An  annual  fair  is  held  here,  lasting  eight  days,  to  which 
the  people  of  the  entire  region  resort,  in  December  of  each  year. 

Jalisco  is  a  large  and  populous  State,  lying  upon  the  western  slope  of  the 
Cordillera;  and  here  the  traveller  will  find  the  temperature  sensibly  increased,  as 
contrasted  with  that  of  the  cities  and  towns  along  the  line,  both  north  and  south  of 
it.  It  belongs,  in  fact,  to  the  tierra  caliente,  —  the  hot  country,  —  and  is  capable 
of  producing  all  tropical  productions,  which  might  also  be  raised  in  the  deep  and 
hot  ravines  of  the  narrow  section  traversed  by  the  railway.  The  portion  of  the 
plateau  on  the  western  declivity  of  the  cordillera  enjoys  a  more  fertile  soil  and 
more  temperate  climate  than  that  above,  as  evidenced  by  the  populous  tewns 
of  Lagos  and  Leon,  which  do  not  depend  upon  the  mines,  but  upon  the  soil. 

About  thirty-six  miles  farther  is  the  city  of  Lagos,  containing  20,000  inhabitants, 
—  a  prosperous  place.  There  is  a  church  here,  —  larger  than  the  one  at  San  Juan, 
but  with  less  costly  decorations,  —  commenced  in  17S4. 

Leon,  thirty-six  miles  farther,  lies  about  ten  miles  within  the  border  of  the  .State 
of  Guanajuato,  gt  an  elevation  above  the  sea  of  6,000  feet,  in  a  fine,  highly 
cultivated  valley  dotted  with  fields  of  corn  and  wheat.  It  is  well  built,  and  has 
several  large  religious  edifices,  though  with  none  so  noteworthy  as  in  the  towns 
just  passed.  The  plaza  is  a  large  and  beautiful  one,  paved  with  cobble-stones  in 
mosaic,  and  with  an  elegant  fountain.  The  city-hall  and  public  buildings  are  large 
and  handsome.  The  climate  here  is  temperate,  ranging  from  60°  to  80°  the  year 
round.  Oranges  are  cultivated  here,  though  other  tropical  fruits  do  not  flourish ; 
and  the  flower-gardens  of  Leon  are  celebrated.  Leon  is  258  miles  from  the  city 
of  Mexico ;  and  the  event  of  its  being  placed  in  rail  connection  with  the  capital 
was  celebrated  with  great  rejoicings.  It  is  celebrated  for  its  factories,  and  is  the 
market-town  for  an  extensive  agricultural  district. 

The  next  large  town  is  Silao,  "between  which  and  Leon,"  says  a  traveller, 
before  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  "  the  eye  looks  in  vain  for  signs  of  cultivation." 

A  branch  line  of  fourteen  miles  connects  Silao  with  the  famous  city  of  Guana- 
juato, capital  of  the  State  of  the  same  name.  This  city,  containing  about  65,000 
inhabitants,  lies  at  an  elevation  above  the  sea  of  some  800  feet  higher  than  the 
general  altitude  of  the  line  of  road ;  Leon  being  at  6,000,  and  Celaya,  to  the  east, 
6,020.  It  is  built  in  so  rugged  a  region,  and  is  so  securely  hedged  in  by  hills  and 
mountains,  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  run  the  main  line  to  the  capital  city; 
hence  the  branch  from  Silao  of  twelve  miles  to  the  suburban  town  of  Marfil, 
whence  a  tramway  leads  to  the  outskirts  of  the  city  itself.  The  inauguration 
of  the  opening  of  the  Central  Railroad  to  this  point  was  celebrated  on  the  22d  of 
November,  1S82,  with  unusual  splendor.  A  special  excursion-train  was  run  from 
Mexico,  containing  about  150  people,  comprising  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  the  Republic.  The  streets  were  illuminated,  the  buildings  decorated,  and 
fiestas  and  fireworks  gave  expression  to  the  joy  of  the  people  in  having  been 
at  last  brought  into  connection  with  the  capital  city.  This  town,  says  a  well- 
informed  writer,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  curiously  picturesque  and   remarkable  in 


14 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


the  Republic.  "  Entering  a  rocky  Canada,  the  bottom  of  which  barely  affords  room 
for  a  road,  you  pass  between  high  adobe  walls,  above  which,  up  the  steep,  rises  tier 
above  tier  of  blank,  windowless,  sun-dried  houses,  looking  as  if  they  had  grown 
out  of  the  earth.  Every  corner  of  the  windings  of  this  road  is  filled  with  buildings 
of  mining  companies;  huge  fortresses  of  stone,  ramparted,  as  if  for  defence.  The 
scene  varies  with  every  moment.     Now  you  look  up  to  a  church  with  purple  dome 

and  painted  towers ;  now  the 
black  adobe  walls,  with  here 
and  there  a  spicy  cypress  or 
graceful  palm  between  them, 
rise  far  above  you,  along  the 
steep  ledges  of  the  mountain; 
and  again  the  mountain  itself, 
with  Its  waste  of  rock  and  cac- 
tus, is  all  you  see.  The  canada 
finally  seems  to  close  :  a  preci- 
pice of  rock,  out  of  a  rift  in 
which  the  stream  flows,  shuts 
the  passage.  Ascending  this, 
by  a  twist  in  the  road  you  are 
in  the  heart  of  the  city." 

"Guanajuato  impressed  us," 
says  another,  "with  an  idea  of 
permanence  and  comparative 
prosj^erity  rather  unusual  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  in  spite 
of  its  greatly  reduced  popula- 
tion, its  languishing  industries, 
and  its  suburban  mining-towns  deserted,  and  tumbling  into  ruins.  It  has  many  beauti- 
ful private  residences,  which  cannot  be  excelled  in  comfort,  extent,  and  elegance,  in 
any  part  of  the  United  States,  and  many  still  wealthy  and  aristocratic  families  of 
pure,  or  nearly  pure,  Castilian  descent." 

The  reservoirs,  substantial  and  beautiful  structures  thrown  across  a  stream  which 
flows  above  the  city,  furnish  it  with  water ;  and  terraced  promenades  around  them 
are  favorite  resorts  of  the  people. 

"  Above  the  city,  not  far  from  the  reservoirs,  is  a  peculiar  high  mountain 
crowned  with  a  curious  perpendicular  rock,  which,  from  its  fancied  resemblance 
to  the  outlines  of  a  giant  buffalo,  has  been  christened  'EI  Buffa.'  From  this 
mountain  is  procured  in  unlimited  quantities  a  species  of  beautifully  variegated 
sandstone,  of  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  blue,  pale  green,  and  chocolate 
predominating.  The  sandstone  cuts  readily,  has  a  fine  grain;  and  of  this  material 
residences  have  been  consti^ucted  of  the  most  beautiful  style,  lining  the  canon  all 
the  way  up  to  the  reservoirs.  Graceful  pillars  in  long  colonnades,  arched  portals 
and  corridors,  and  patios  decorated  with  all  the  flowers  of  this  prolific  climate,  are 
seen  by  the  delighted  traveller  on  every  side." 

The  mint  here  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  Mexico,  and  one  of  the  few  run  by 
steam ;  while  the  reduction-works,  though  mainly  run  on  the  old  Mexican  plan, 
are  the  most  famous  in  the  country.     In  the  mountains  north-east  of  the  city  is 


INTERIOR    OF   MEXICAN    HUT. 


GUANAJUATO   AND    THE  BAXIO.  1 5 

the  wonderful  mine  of  Valenciana,  which  has  produced  $800,000,000,  and  has 
been  worked  ever  since  the  Conquest.  No  traveller  can  afford  to  miss  Guana- 
juato since  it  has  been  rendered  accessible  by  steam,  if  he  would  care  to  become 
informed  upon  the  mining  resources  of  the  Republic.  Guanajuato  sustained  a 
terrible  part  in  the  tragedy  of  the  revolution;  and  the  Castle  of  Grenaditas  still 
stands  to  point  out  where  many  brave  men  perished.  When  in  1810  the  patriot 
priest  Hidalgo  led  his  rabble  of  Indians  to  this  city,  the  Spaniards  intrenched 
themselves  in  this  Castle  of  Grenaditas,  where  they  bravely  sustained  a  long  siege. 
Finding  it  to  be  impossible  to  carry  the  fortress  by  storm,  a  brave  Indian,  it  is  said, 
took  a  great  flat  stone  upon  his  back,  and,  unharmed  by  the  bullets  rained  upon  it 
from  above,  reached  the  castle-gates,  and  set  them  on  fire.  The  garrison  was  put 
to  the  sword.  The  year  following,  Hidalgo  was  defeated  by  the  Spanish  com- 
mander, and,  fleeing  to  Chihuahua,  was  captured  and  shot ;  and  his  head  and  the 
heads  of  his  companions,  brought  here  and  hung  up  on  four  hooks,  are  still  shown 
at  the  four  corners  of  the  castle.  The  victorious  Calleja  also  took  vengeance 
upon  the  inoffensive  inhabitants  of  Guanajuato  for  harboring  the  insurgents,  and 
slaughtered  them  without  mercy,  till  the  fountains  of  the  city  were  choked  with 
blood. 

The  region  through  which  the  road  passes  after  leaving  Silao  is  known  as  the 
Baxio,  "so  celebrated  in  Mexico,  both  as  the  seat  of  the  great  agricultural  riches  of 
the  country  and  the  scene  of  the  most  cruel  ravages  of  the  civil  war." 

There  are  great  plains  here,  in  places  dry  and  verdureless,  but  generally  fertile 
and  well  cultivated.  The  ranchos  are  of  large  size ;  the  haciendas  being  perfect 
fortresses,  loop-holed  and  battlemented. 

Irapuato,  In  the  centre  of  this  district,  is  an  old  market-town,  with  no  notable 
buildings  save  its  churches;  then  comes  Salamanca,  at  333  kilometres,  and  finally, 
Celaya,  at  292  from  Me.xico.  Great  fields  of  corn,  and  some  olive-orchards, 
indicate  the  fertility  of  the  valleys  now  passed  through.  Celaya  contains  30,000 
inhabitants,  and  is  a  city  of  importance,  with  large  factories  and  intelligent  laborers. 
It  is  supplied  with  water  at  blood-heat,  by  an  artesian  well  400  feet  deep ;  and  in 
this  place,  and  other  manufacturing  towns  near,  there  is  an  abundant  supply. 

In  the  district  of  Guanajuato,  said  Mr.  Evans,  who  travelled  with  the  Seward 
party  across  Mexico  in  1S69-70,  "  within  a  circuit  of  fifteen  miles  there  is  estimated 
to  be,  at  this  time,  $40,000,000  worth  of  silver  ore  which  will  yield  $25  to  the  ton ; 
but,  owing  to  the  expense  of  reducing  it  there,  it  will  not  pay  for  working  at  all,  and 
is  now  lying  valueless  on  the  surface  of  the  ground.  A  railroad  of  about  a  hundred 
miles,  through  a  wonderfully  rich  valley,  offering  no  engineering  obstacles  of  any 
amount,  would  connect  the  two  cities,  and  enable  the  builder  to  bag  $20,000,000 
in  profits  on  this  ore  already  out,  to  say  nothing  of  the  future." 

Since  this,  the  then  unexpected  event  of  a  railroad  has  been  realized,  though  not, 
probably,  his  sanguine  prediction  regarding  the  working  of  the  silver  waste.  Two 
great  railways  pass  through  Celaya,  as  the  Mexican  National  here  crosses  the  Cen- 
tral on  its  route  from  San  Luis  Potosi  to  Acambaro  and  Mexico.  Celaya  has  twelve 
churches ;  while  its  principal  factory  cost,  including  machinery,  $400,000. 

QuERETARO  is  the  first  place  in  the  State  bearing  the  same  name,  and  is  246 
kilometres  from  Mexico.  It  contains  48,000  inhabitants.  Queretaro  has  the  repu- 
tation of  being  the  loveliest  to  the  eye  of  any  city  outside  the  valley  of  Mexico.  The 
first  object  claiming  attention,  should  you  approach  it  from  the  south,  would  be  its 


1 6  A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 

magnificent  aqueduct,  much  finer  and  grander  than  the  two  which  supply  the  city  of 
Mexico.  Its  arches  curve  above  columns  50  or  60  feet  high,  —  so  high  that  the  whole 
structure  has  a  light  and  graceful  appearance.  It  was  built  by  the  Marquis  de 
Valero  del  Aguila,  at  his  own  cost,  during  the  reign  of  the  viceroys.  It  is  two  miles 
in  length,  and  90  feet  in  height,  and  connects  with  a  tunnel  in  the  neighboring  hills, 
bringing  pure  water  to  the  city  from  a  point  five  miles  away.  As  Queretaro  lies  at 
an  altitude  of  7,000  feet  above  the  sea,  it  enjoys  a  delightful  and  temperate  climate, 
and  is  surrounded  by  the  vegetation  and  fruits  of  the  temperate  zone.  It  is  built 
upon,  and  is  surrounded  by,  hills;  and  the  views,  both  of  and  from  the  city,  are  ex- 
ceptionally fine.  Of  the  approach  to  the  city.  Bishop  Haven  writes  :  "  The  city  ever 
allures  us  on.  Its  towers  and  domes  glisten  in  the  dying  light,  half  hidden  among 
abundant  foliage.  The  hollow  of  the  hills  looks  small  from  this  height,  and  the 
city  seems  embossed  on  the  bottom  of  a  bowl  of  radiant  green.  A  farther  descent 
brings  the  aqueduct  to  view,  —  the  stateliest  Roman  that  is  extant  in  America;  and 
there  is  no  grander  in  Italy,  nor  one  so  grand.  The  valley  lies  about  you  full  of 
verdure :  never  did  any  valley  look  lovelier.  Hundreds  of  acres  of  wheat  and 
barley  and  lucern,  greenest  of  the  green,  seem  in  a  race  for  superiority  in  color ;  while 
the  trees  are  not  behind  in  beauty.  Flowers  of  richest  hue  bloom  in  the  gardens ; 
and  the  city  stands  forth,  with  its  glittering  towers  and  domes,  a  spectacle  long  to 
be  remembered.  It  would  be  hard  to  find  the  equal  in  beauty  of  this  combmation 
of  high,  bold  cliffs,  ranges  of  hills,  velvet  meadows,  and  stately  churches." 

There  are  cotton-mills  here  that  may  vie  with  those  of  Lowell,  in  size,  and  number 
of  spindles  and  operatives.  One,  the  "Hercules,"  employs  i,Soo  hands  and  18,000 
spindles.  These  cotton-factories,  surrounded  by  large  and  beautiful  gardens,  where 
bloom  rare  flowers,  and  choice  fruits  ripen,  are  models  of  their  class.  They  should 
be  visited  by  every  one  desiring  to  witness  the  industry  of  the  native  Indian  when 
regularly  employed,  and  the  effect  of  capital  in  the  hands  of  enterprising  Mexicans. 

The  alameda,  or  public  garden,  here  is  very  pleasant;  and  there  are  many  old 
convents  and  churches  worthy  a  visit.  An  ancient  city,  on  the  site  of  one  built  by 
the  former  Indian  inhabitants,  Queretaro  also  has  an  added  interest  as  being  the 
scene  of  two  important  historical  events.  Here  the  treaty  of  peace  between  Mexi- 
co and  the  United  States  was  finally  ratified  by  the  the  Mexican  Congress  in  1848. 
Here,  also,  was  sounded  the  death-knell  of  the  empire  of  Maximilian,  when  that 
pseudo  emperor  lost  his  life.  It  is  not  necessary  to  recount  the  events  of  that 
month  of  May,  1867,  when  Maximilian,  his  forces  surrounded  by  the  invincible  army 
of  the  North,  sustained  siege  in  this  city  of  Queretaro.  The  Hill  of  Bells,  El 
Cerro  de  las  Campanas,  south-west  of  the  city,  indicates  the  point  at  which  Maxi- 
milian was  captured,  and  where  he  was  subsequently  shot,  in  company  with  Miramon 
and  Mejia.  He  had  fortified  the  old  convent  of  Las  Cruces,  an  immense  structure 
with  massive  walls  ;  and  here,  later,  he  was  confined,  and  from  a  cell  in  this  build- 
ing led  out  to  be  shot.  Las  Cruces  is  now  in  ruins;  and  the  town,  especially  in 
the  outskirts,  still  shows,  in  roofless  houses  and  in  the  marks  of  cannon-balls,  the 
ravages  of  the  war.  The  streets  of  Queretaro  are  narrow  and  winding ;  the  houses 
of  stone,  low,  massive,  and  bright  in  color;  and  here  and  there  are  little  plazas 
adorned  with  flowers  and  tropical  shrubbery.  Though  not  rich  in  mines,  the 
State  of  Queretaro  contains  celebrated  deposits  of  opals,  not  far  from  the  capital. 
A  rich  and  broad  valley  extends  beyond,  filled  with  productive  cornfields.  Pass- 
ing through  this,  we  reach,  at  a  distance  from  the  city  of  Mexico  of  191  kilometres, 


QUERETARO  AND   BEYOND.  1 7 

the  old  and  flourishing  town  of  San  Juan  del  Rio,  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  its 
fields  and  gardens;  even  Humboldt  mentioning  them  so  long  ago  as  1S03.  Nu- 
merous churches  and  useless  convents  are  found  here  ;  but  there  is  little  to  claim 
attention.  Bevond,  are  various  small  towns,  such  as  Nopala ;  and  at  Tula,  but 
eighty  kilometres,  or  fifty  miles,  distant  from  Mexico,  we  enter  a  town  older,  proba- 
bly, than  any  other  on  the  line. 

There  are  fair  hotels  here,  as  also  at  the  various  cities  and  towns  now  pierced 
by  the  railroad,  with  prices  at  about  the  average  in  the  United  States,  with  a  trifle 
rougher  style  of  accommodations.  The  charm  of  Tula  consists  chiefly  in  its  anti- 
quity. Not  only  has  it  an  old  cathedral — one  of  the  very  first  built  after  the 
Conquest  —  and  a  massive  bridge  nearly  as  old;  but  it  is  half  encircled  by  hills 
crowned  with  remains  of  very  ancient  structures.  In  the  plaza  are  shown  carved 
pillars ;  and  tradition  is  very  firm  in  the  statement  that  Tula  was  the  site  of  a 
Toltec  city  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago.  Lying  on  the  northern  verge  of  the 
valley  of  Mexico,  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Tula,  or  Montezuma,  the  situation 
of  the  town  is  pretty,  although  the  surrounding  soil  and  vegetation  are  not  rich. 
In  fact,  we  have  left  behind  us  the  fertile  soil  and  the  exuberant  vegetation  of 
the  central  Baxio,  and  are  now  in  a  different  land,  though  on  the  same  plateau. 
Cactus,  agave,  and  upland  palm  adorn  vast  plains,  uncultivated  and  lava-strewn; 
and  in  the  fifty  intervening  miles  to  Mexico  little  of  cultivation  is  seen. 

We  pass  El  Salto  at  sixty-two  kilometres  from  the  capital,  and  Huehuetoca  at 
forty-seven,  and  enter  that  great  cut  through  the  mountain-ridge  that  hems  in  the 
valley  of  Mexico,  the  Tajo  of  Nochistongo,  dug  to  drain  the  upper  lakes. 

The  aspect  of  the  valley  of  Mexico,  as  entered  from  any  point  of  compass, 
is  beautiful  in  a  general  way ;  but  a  nearer  view  will  not  impress  one  so  favorably. 
The  soil  is  sterile,  denuded  of  attractive  vegetation,  and  the  surface  worn  into 
gullies,  ravines,  and  barrancas,  by  repeated  rains.  Huehuetoca  is  a  dismal,  dreary, 
uninteresting  place  ;  and  Cuautitlan,  but  twenty-seven  kilometres  from  the  capital, 
though  populous,  has  nothing  at  all  to  attract  a  stranger.  An  exception  may  be 
made,  however,  in  favor  of  its  Sunday  bull-fights,  to  which  the  roads  run  loaded 
trains,  at  great  profit.  In  fact,  no  one  would  care  to  linger  in  the  northern  portion 
of  the  valley,  between  Tula  and  Mexico,  except  it  were  for  the  inspection  of  places 
made  fascinating  by  historic  events  of  world-wide  renown.  Zumpango  is  one  of 
these  points.  It  was  the  seat  of  a  powerful  Chichimec  chief,  before  the  coming 
of  the  Aztecs ;  and  the  lake  here  is  the  one  that  has  caused  most  disaster  from 
inundation  to  the  city  of  Mexico.  It  lies  eastward  from  the  railroad,  its  waters 
sparkling  in  the  clear  sunlight  of  this  great  elevation  above  the  sea. 

If  the  region  we  have  now  entered  be  not  so  fruitful  in  returns  to  the  agricul- 
turist, it  is  a  glorious  field  for  the  seeker  after  the  picturesque  and  for  the  student 
of  history.  Though  stripped  of  the  forests  that  once  gave  it  shade  and  fertility, 
yet  the  bare  hills  have  a  beauty  peculiarly  their  own;  and  the  almost  numberless 
villages  and  haciendas,  with  white  walls  gleaming  amongst  fruit  and  flowering  trees 
of  garden  and  field,  render  the  scene  one  long  to  be  remembered.  We  have  now 
come  in  sight  of  the  great  volcanoes,  Popocatapetl  and  Iztaccihuatl,  that  keep 
watch  and  ward  over  the  historic  city  of  the  Aztecs ;  and  soon  the  intervening 
space  is  passed,  and  the  long  journey  from  El  Paso,  of  1,225  niil^s,  is  ended. 


1 8  A    GUIDE    TO  MEXICO. 


THE    CITY    OF    MEXICO, 


So  much  has  been  written  of  this  city,  the  objective  point  of  all  tourists  to 
Mexico,  that  whatever  could  be  given  now  would  be  merely  repetition ; '  and  we 
will  confine  ourselves  to  an  outline  of  its  attractive  points. 

From  the  railroad-station  at  Buena  Vista,  horse-cars  and  coaches  convey  passen- 
gers to  any  part  of  the  city,  and  are  in  waiting  for  all  trains.  For  the  convenience 
of  visitors  who  will  later  wish  to  visit  various  portions  of  the  city,  the  following 
list  of  hacks  and  prices  is  appended:  — 

HACK    STANDS  AND    RATES. 

No.  I,  Seminario;  No.  2,  Puente  de  Palacio;  No.  3,  San  Jose  de  Gracia;  No.  4, 
Estampa  de  la  Merced  (vacant) ;  No.  5,  Segunda  de  Vanegas ;  No.  6,  Plaza  de  Santo 
Domingo ;  No.  7,  Celaya ;  No.  8,  Mesones  (vacant) ;  No.  9,  Tercer  Orden  de  S. 
Agustin  (vacant);  No.  10,  Mariscala;  No.  11,  Resales;  No.  12,  Avenida  Juarez; 
No.  13,  Corpus  Christi ;  No.  14,  Gante;  No.  15,  Independencia;  No.  16,  Coliseo; 
No.  17,  Refugio;  No.  18,  Hotel  Gilovv;  No.  19,  Calle  de  Vergara;  No.  20,  Hotel 
de  S.  Agustin;  No.  21,  Vizcainas  (vacant) ;  No.  22,  Mercaderes;  No.  23,  San  Jose 
el  Real;  No.  24,  Empedradillo ;  No.  35,  Manrique;  No.  26,  Hotel  Bella  Union; 
No.  27,  Hotel  Gran  Sociedad ;  No.  28,  Puente  de  la  Lena;  No.  29,  Puente  Quebra- 
do;  No.  30,  D.  Juan  Manuel ;  No.  31,  S.  Juan  de  Letran;  No.  32,  de  S.  Diego. 

Hacks  showing  green  flags  are  paid  $1.50  per  hour;  blue,  $1.00;  red,  75  cents; 
white,  50  cents.  Befoi-e  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  after  nine  o'clock  at  night, 
the  above  rates  are  doubled.  On  feast  days,  hack-drivers  are  paid  as  follows : 
green  flag,  $2.00;  blue,  $1.50;  red,  $1.00.  Any  misconduct  on  the  part  of  cab-drivers 
should  be  reported  to  Antonio  Meneses,  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Municipal  Palace. 

STREET-RAILROADS  TO    SUBURBAN   TOWNS. 

Sa,n  Angel,  via  Mixcoac.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  and  San  Angel  simultane- 
ously, at  6  A.M.,  and  every  80  minutes  afterwards,  except  on  Sunday,  when  they  leave 
every  40  minutes.     Fare  :  first-class,  25  cents  ;  second-class,  12^  cents. 

Mi.vcoac.     San  Angel  cars.     Fare :  first-class,  18  cents ;  second-class,  9  cents. 

Tacubaya,  via  Chapultepec.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  at  5.20  A.M.,  and  run 
every  20  minutes  till  8  p.m.  Fare:  first-class,  12^  cents;  second-class,  6^  cents. 
Monthly  commutation-tickets:  first-class,  $5.50;  second-class,  $3.50. 

Atzcapotzalco,  via  Tacuba.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  and  Atzcapotzalco  simul- 
taneously, at  6  A.M.,  and  every  hour  afterward  till  8  P.M.  Fare:  first-class,  I2>^ 
cents  ;  second-class,  6j4^  cents. 

Tacuba.     Atzcapotzalco  cars.     Fare:  first-class,  10  cents;  second-class,  6^  cents. 

Tlalpam.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  and  Tlalpam  simultaneously,  at  6,  7.30,  9, 
10.30  A.M.,  12  M.,  and  2,  3,  3.30,  5,  and  6.30  in  the  afternoon.  Fare:  first-clasis,  31 
cents ;  second-class,  i8  cents. 

Guadalupe.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  at  5  A.M.,  and  run  every  half-hour  till 
1.30  P.M.,  and  from  2.45  p.m.  to  7.45  P.M.     Cars  leave  Guadalupe  every  half-hour, 

'  See  the  author's  Travels  in  Mexico,  Chaps.  XII. -XVI.,  etc. 


NEW  YORK,  HAVANA,  VERA  CRUZ. 


AleKAWDI^E  ^TEi^Hf^Hip  LifflE. 

STEAMERS    AT    PRESENT 

LEAVE  NEW  YORK  EVERY  THURSDAY 

FOR 

VERA   CRUZ  via    HAVANA, 

AND 

LEAVE  VERA  CRUZ  EVERY  THURSDAY 

FOR 

NEW   YORK   via   HAVANA. 


Trip  between  New  York  and  Vera  Cruz  about  ten  days,  including  stoppages  at 
Havana,  generally  one  or  two  days,  at  Progreso,  Yucatan,  about  one  day. 

Steamers  also  stop  every  two  weeks  at 

CAMPECHE    and    FRONTERA, 

Making  the  trip,  with  these  several  stoppages,  more  like  a 

PLEASURE-EXCURSION. 


The  railway  trip  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the 

CITY   OF    MEXICO 

is  considered 

The  road  being  built  up  the  mountain,  and  rising  to  an  elevation  of  8,000  feet. 
The  ever  spring-like  climate  of  the  City  of  Mexico 

CANNOT     BE     SURPASSED. 

(See  page  31  of"  Guide.") 


IN   THE    CITY  OF  MEXICO.  1 9 

from  5.15  A.M.  to  1.45  P.M.,  and  at  the  same  interval,  from  2.30  to  S.30  r.^f.  Fare  : 
first-class,  I2_J^  cents;  second-class,  6^  cents. 

La  Viga.  Cars  leave  Plaza  de  Armas  every  15  minutes,  from  6.45  a.m.  to  S  p.m. 
Fare,  (i%  cents. 

The  street-car  company  that  has. charge  of  the  suburban  routes  has  cars  for  spe- 
cial occasions,  the  terms  for  which  may  be  had  by  applying  at  the  office  in  the  Plaza 
de  Armas,  the  square  in  front  of  the  Cathedral. 

FOREIGN    DIPLOMATIC    CORPS. 

LTnited  States  of  America.  Phillip  Morgan,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy 
Extraordinary,  No.  2  San  Diego  Street.     Secretary  of  Legation,  Harry  IP  Morgan. 

Belgium.  George  Neyt,  Minister  Resident,  No.  12  First  San  Francisco  Street. 
Secretary  of  Legation,  Adolfo  du  Chastel  de  la  Houardies. 

Chili.  Domingo  Gana,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy  E.xtraordinary,  Calle 
Cadena.     Secretary  of  Legation,  Guillermo  Edwards. 

France.  Gustave  de  Coutouly,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy  Extraordi- 
nary, No.  2  Buena  Vista.  Secretary  of  the  Embassy,  Hunges  Bonlard.  Chancellor 
of  Legation,  Mr.  Villard. 

Germany.  Baron  de  Walcker  Gotter,  Minister  Resident.  Secretary  of  Legation, 
Baron  Ernest  Wedell. 

Guatemala,  San  Salvador-,  and  Honduras.  Manuel  Herrera,  Minister  Plenij^oten- 
tiary  and  Envoy  E.xtraordinar)',  No.  8  San  Ildefonso  Street. 

Italy.     Ernesto  Martuscelli,  Minister  Resident,  No.  2  Buena  Vista. 

Spain.  Guillermo  Crespo,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  and  Envoy  E.xtraordinary, 
No.  2  San  Diego.     Secretary  of  Legation,  Andres  Freuiler. 

FOREIGN    CONSULS. 

United  States  of  America,  David  H.  Strother,  No.  5  Perpetua  Street;  Belgium, 
Diedrich  Grane,  14  San  Agustin ;  Colombia,  Jose  de  Ansoategui,  3  Empedradillo  ; 
Denmark,  German  P\  Wichers,  17  San  Agustin;  Germany,  Pablo  Kosidowski,  7 
Capuchinas ;  Guatemala,  Rafael  Gonzalez  Hoz ;  Spain,  Jose  Perignat,  Hotel  Itur- 
bide  ;  Switzerland,  Albert  Kienast,  2  Monterilla  Street. 

HOTELS    AND    RESTAURANTS. 

Bazar,  Calle  del  Espiritu  Santo,  a  central  family  hotel;  French  spoken;  rooms 
from  $1.00  to  $2.00  per  day.  French  restaurant  with  private  saloons  and  garden; 
75  cents  per  meal,  and  special  terms  per  week  or  month. 

Bella  Union,  corner  of  Calle  de  la  Palma. 

Restaurant  and  boarding-house  on  the  American  system,  kept  by  Miss  Hubc, 
Calle  del  Espiritu  Santo,  m'lmero  4;  English,  French,  and  Spanish  spoken. 

Europa,  Calle  del  Coliseo  Viejo,  a  Me.xican  hotel. 

Gillow  Hotel  and  Restaurant,  Calle  de  San  Jose  el  Real ;  a  family  hotel  in  a 
central  situation;  English,  French,  and  Spanish  spoken. 

Gran  Sociedad,  Calle  del  Espiritu  Santo  ;  Mexican  hotel  and  restaurant. 

Gual,  Calle  del  Paente  del  Espiritu  Santo ;  Mexican  hotel. 


20  A    GUIDE    TO   MEXICO. 

Nacional,  Calle  de  la  Profesa  or  3  de  San  Francisco. 

Refugio,   Calle  del   Refugio;   Mexican   hotel   and  restaurant   {fonda). 

San  Agustin,  hotel  and  restaurant  {fonda),  Mexican,  Calle  de  San  Agustin. 

San  Carlos,  Mexican  hotel  and  restaurant,  Calie  del  Coliseo. 

Coliseo  Viejo,  fonda  y  hotel  del  Turco. 

German  Fonda,  Callejon  de  Santa  Clara. 

La  Concordia,  cafe  and  restaurant;  A.  Omarini,  proprietor;  pastry  and  ice- 
creams ;  corner  of  Second  Calle  de  Plateros  and  San  Jose  el  Real ;  French  cook- 
ing; dejeuners  <J  la  foiirchette,  diners  a  la  carte,  and  parties;  saloon  and  private 
cabinets;  English,  French,  Italian,  and  Spanish  spoken. 

Tivolis,  de  Bucareli,  del  Eliseo,  del  Ferrocarril,  de  San  Cosme,  kept  bv  Porras; 
Petit  Versailles,  from  $1.00  to  $10.00  dejeuner  a  la  fotirchette,  or  diner,  and  wines. 

Iturbide,  Second  Calle  de  San  Francisco,  for  single  ladies  and  gentlemen ; 
English,  French,  and  Spanish  spoken  ;  rooms  from  $3.00  per  day ;  special  terms 
for  permanent  boarders. 

French  Restaurant,  in  the  Iturbide  Hotel,  and  superintended  by  its  owner, 
M.  C.  Recamier.  A  breakfast  or  dinner  here  costs  in  the  main  saloon,  at  private 
tables,  from  $1.00  upwards,  and  in  the  garden  or  private  saloons,  from  $1.50. 

THEATRES. 

National,  Tcatro  Nacional  (first-class),  Vergara  Street ;  Teatro  Principal,  Coli- 
seo Street;  Arbcu  Theatre;  Alarcon,  Arsenas  Street;  Merced  Morales,  Lerdo 
Avenue;  Guerrero,  Tenexpa  Street;  Autores,  Bano  del  Jordan.  Second-class: 
American,  Hidalgo,  Jordan,  New  Mexico,  and  Oriental. 

BANKS. 

Banco  de  Empleados,  5  San  Agustin ;  Banco  de  Londres,  Mexico  and  South 
America,  3  Capuchinas;  Banco  Mercantil,  15  San  Agustin;  Montepio. 

PLAZAS    AND    PASEOS. 

There  are  nearly  five  hundred  miles  of  streets,  which  intersect  at  right  angles ; 
and  throughout  the  city  are  numerous  squares,  plazas  or  placitas.  The  most  im- 
portant is  the  Plaza  Mayor,  the  great  square  near  the  centre  of  the  city,  on  one 
side  of  which  is  the  great  cathedral ;  on  another,  the  National  Palace  ;  on  another, 
the  municipal  buildings;  and  in  the  centre,  the  Zocalo,  a  beautiful  garden,  densely 
shaded,  with  a  music-stand,  statues,  fountains,  etc.  From  this  point  the  street- 
railways  take  their  departure,  and  the  attractive  flower-market  is  held  here.  It 
is  a  point  at  which,  also,  the  historic  interest  is  greater  than  at  any  other,  as  it 
covers  the  site  of  the  ancient  Aztec  temples  and  armories. 

The  Plazuela  of  San  Domingo  is  next  in  interest,  having  the  fine  old  church 
of  San  Domingo,  the  buildings  of  the  Inquisition,  and  the  custom-house. 

The  various  market-squares  are  exceedingly  attractive,  especially  the  great  en- 
closed one  near  the  Palace,  where  every  article  essential  to  Mexican  economy  is 
displayed  for  sale,  including  all  the  fruits  of  the  country. 

The  principal  street,  upon  or  near  which  are  the  rich  stores,  is  the  Calle  de  San 
Francisco,  leading  from  the  Plaza  Mayor  to  the  beautiful  Alameda,  or  botanical 


CITY  OF  MEXICO   AND   SUBURBS.  21 

garden,  which  is  a  favorite  resting-place  for  all,  strangers  and  citizens  alike.  The 
grandest  avenue  of  Mexico,  the  Paseo  Grande,  runs  straight  away  towards  Chapul- 
tepec,  an  avenue  ornamented  with  trees  and  statuary,  and  dividing  the  great  tract 
of  land  purchased  by  the  Mexico  Hotel  and  Land  Company,  in  the  centre  of 
which  they  purpose  erecting  a  most  magnificent  hotel  for  American  tourists  and 
residents.  Even  at  this  late  day,  with  direct  rail  communication  with  the  North, 
Mexico  has  no  hotel  adequate  to  the  demands  already  made  by  visiting  Americans. 
The  Paseo  de  Bucarelli  diverges  from  nearly  the  same  point  as  the  great  avenue, 
and  has  some  objects  worthy  of  attention. 

Of  streets  in  general,  that  leading  to  Tacuba  is  bristling  with  historic  objects; 
and  the  paseo  of  La  Vega,  running  along  the  canal  of  the  same  name,  is  a  favorite 
promenade,  and  a  fine  place  in  which  to  study  the  costumes  and  peculiarities  of  the 
Aztec  boatman  coming  in  to  early  market  from  the  floating  gardens. 

CHURCHES,  MUSEUMS,  LIBRARIES,  ETC. 

Above  the  site  of  the  ancient  Aztec  teocalli  stands  the  great  and  world-famous 
cathedral,  begun  in  1573,  and  completed  in  1657.  Grand  and  imposing  as  is  its 
exterior,  its  interior  is  magnificent,  resplendent  with  gilding,  rich  in  altar-rails, 
pictures,  chapels,  balustrades  of  fine  metal,  statues,  and  carvings.  Entrance  can 
be  obtained  at  any  time  to  the  body  of  the  cathedral,  and  to  the  great  towers 
(200  feet  high),  and  to  the  inner  sanctuary,  where  the  treasures  are  kept,  by  the 
payment  of  a  small  fee. 

Of  other  religious  edifices,  the  Church  of  San  Domingo,  San  Hypolito,  and  a 
dozen  more,  will  well  repay  examination.  The  leading  Protestant  church  is  the 
Methodist,  on  Calle  Gante :  the  finest  is  the  Church  of  Jesus,  Calle  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  celebrated  Calendar  Stone  is  to  be  seen  cemented  into  the  western  wall 
of  the  cathedral. 

The  great  museum,  in  the  Palace  collection  of  buildings,  should  demand  a  large 
portion  of  the  visitor's  time,  as  it  contains  famous  relics  of  the  past,  such  as  the 
Sacrificial  Stone,  statues  of  the  Aztec  god  of  war  and  numerous  others,  vast  collec- 
tions of  pottery,  portraits  of  famous  Mexicans  and  viceroys,  and  a  multitude  of 
objects  unique  and  interesting.  Near  this  museum  is  the  Academy  of  San  Carlos, 
with  its  valuable  collection  of  paintings  and  statuary.  Entrance  can  be  obtained 
to  either  upon  application  at  the  gates,  and  on  certain  days  both  are  open  to  the 
public.  The  finest  library  in  Mexico  is  the  Biblioteca  Nacional,  in  a  magnificent 
structure,  the  renovated  Convent  of  San  Augustin :  it  contains  over  100,000  vol- 
umes.    The  College  of  Mines,  an  immense  building,  is  on  the  street  of  San  Andres. 

The  mint,  from  which  has  issued  forth  so  many  millions  of  Mexican  silver,  can 
be  inspected  as  desired;  and  the  National  Palace,  containing  the  Senate  Chambers, 
the  Meteorological  Observatory,  and  many  relics  of  Mexico's  past,  is  courteously 
opened  to  visitors,  upon  proper  representation. 

The  Post-Ofiice  is  in  the  Calle  de  Moneda;  the  Palace  of  Congress,  in  Calle  del 
Factor;  the  Palace  of  Justice,  in  Cordobanes. 

SUBURBAN    VILLAGES,  ETC. 

The  entire  Mexican  valley  bristles  with  objects  of  antiquity,  churches,  or  villages, 
connected  with  its  fascinating  history. 


22  A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 

The  nearest  suburb  is  Guadalupe,  reached  by  tramway  (two  miles),  where  is  the 
famous  sanctuary  to  the  Virgin  Guadalupe,  begun  in  1632,  and  built  at  a  cost  of 
$Soo,ooo;  gifts  to  which,  including  sixty  lamps  of  silver  and  a  silver  tabernacle, 
reached  a  fabulous  amount.  A  chapel  on  the  hill  above  was  built  about  a  hun- 
dred years  later :  it  overlooks  the  spot  where  the  Virgin  is  said  to  have  appeared 
to  an  Indian,  in  1531,  and  there  is  here  a  fine  mineral  spring.  The  famous  blanket 
with  the  miraculous  image  of  the  Virgin  stamped  upon  it,  the  battle-flag  of 
Hidalgo,  and  the  bones  of  some  good  viceroys,  are  deposited  in  the  temple.  An 
annual  pilgrimage  is  made  here  Dec.  12,  when  all  the  Indians  assemble  to  do 
homage  to  the  only  Indian  saint  in  the  calendar.  The  treaty  of  1848,  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  was  signed  here. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  city  is  Chapultepec,  with  the  finest  groves  of  cypress 
in  the  country,  surrounding  a  low  hill  upon  which  is  perched  the  castle,  stormed 
by  the  Americans  in  1847,  occupied  by  Maximilian,  and  now  used  as  an  astro- 
nomical observatory.  One  of  the  great  aqueducts  supplying  Mexico  starts  from 
here ;  the  other,  from  El  Desierto,  a  delightful  wood  fifteen  miles  from  the  city. 
Molino  del  Rey  is  just  back  of  Chapultepec ;  Churubusco  is  on  the  main  diligence 
road  to  the  south  ;  Contreras  and  the  Pedregal  (other  points  famous  in  the  Mexican 
■war)  are  near  San  Angel,  reached  by  tramway,  as  also  is  Tacubaya,  a  suburban 
town  with  gardens  and  fine  views.  The  bull-ring,  where  fights  go  on  every  Sunday 
and  feast-day,  is  just  outside  the  limits  of  the  Federal  district,  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  Chapultepec.  Tacuba,  a  small  town  on  the  northern  causeway,  is 
reached  by  tramway  from  the  Plaza  Mayor.  At  Popotla,  a  near  village,  is  the 
sacred  tree  of  Noche  Triste,  beneath  which,  it  is  said,  Cortes  sat  him  down,  and 
wept  at  his  great  losses,  when  driven  from  the  city  in  1520.  The  American  ceme- 
tery, the  aqueduct,  and  the  bridge  of  Alvarado,  are  all  on  this  road,  near  which, 
before  the  city  limits  are  passed,  is  the  Cemetario  of  San  Fernando,  with  its 
honored  dead.  The  baths,  hot  and  mineral,  of  El  Penon.  are  about  two  miles 
from  the  city,  beyond  the  San  Lazaro  gate ;  while  most  extensive  ones,  with  every 
convenience,  are  near  the  Grand  Paseo. 

The  various  bazaars,  with  their  thousand  and  one  curios.,  are  a  never-ending 
source  of  entertainment,  also  the  stores  of  the  silversmiths,  dealers  in  wax  figures, 
sombreros  and  sarapes  :  they  are  everywhere,  and  need  not  be  designated. 

Historic  Tezcoco,  seat  of  ancient  empire,  place  whence  Cortes  invested  Mexico, 
containing  some  ruins  of  interest,  is  reached  by  rail  by  the  Ferrocarril  Interoceanko, 
in  an  hour  and  a  half;  Chalco,  almost  equally  celebrated,  in  two  hours;  by  the 
same  road,  Amecameca,  in  three  hours  and  a  half,  —  an  attractive  town,  with  a  cele- 
brated Sacro  Monte  (or  sacred  mount).  Here  the  trail  is  taken  for  the  summit 
of  Popocatepetl^  highest  volcano  in  Mexico,  fifteen  miles  distant.  Taking  the 
morning  train,  making  arrangements  in  Ameca  with  the-  merchants  BToriega 
Mijares,  for  horses,  donkeys,  guides,  and  provisions,  one  can  ascend  to  the  rancho 
at  the  snow-limit,  before  night,  thence  to  the  peak,  and  return  next  day,  if  desired. 
For  a  mountain  of  its  height,  Popocatepetl  is  comparatively  easy  of  ascent;  yet  it 
will  be  best  to  provide  one's  self  with  a  stout  staff,  heavy  shoes,  colored  glasses,  and 
abundant  provisions.  For  further  details,  the  reader  is  referred  to  "Travels  in 
Mexico,"  Chap.  XX.  There  are  three  hotels  in  Ameca,  —  Ferrocarril,  Barcelona, 
and  Neria. 

The  most  conspicuous  ancient  monuments  near  Mexico  city  are  the  Pyramids 


VARIOUS  POINTS  IN   THE    VALLEY.  23 

of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  about  forty  miles ;  leave  the  Mexican  Railway  at 
station  of  San  Juan,  and  hire  a  guide  in  the  village,  a  short  distance  from  station. 

At  Cuernavaca,  reached  by  diligence,  —  a  day's  ride,  —  one  may  find  most  pictur- 
esque scenery,  a  semi-tropical  climate,  and  vast  sugar-estates.  Good  hotels  are 
here.  Beyond,  over  a  rough  road,  horseback,  are  the  ruins  of  Xochicalco,  half 
a  day,  and  the  famous  cavern  of  Cacahuamilpa,  two  days.  The  diligence-office  is 
in  the  rear  of  Hotel  Iturbide,  Mexico  City. 

An  excursion  by  rail  to  Toluca,  over  the  Mexican  National  Road,  now  finished  as 
far  as  the  quaint  little  city  of  Morelia,  378  kilometres,  and  fifteen  hours,  would 
include  these  celebrated  places,  and  also  Indian  towns  of  importance,  such  as 
Maravatio  and  Acambaro,  as  well  as  views  of  forests,  and  mines  of  gold  and  silver. 

We  have  thus  outlined  merely,  the  principal  points  of  interest  in  and  near 
Mexico  city,  showing  that  its  list  of  attractions  is  not  a  short  one.'  Good  guide- 
books are  numerous,  giving  them  all  in  detail;  while  guides  and  couriers  are 
always  ready  at  the  principal  hotels;  and  the  number  of  Americans  resident  in 
the  city,  speaking  the  language  of  the  country,  and  ever  courteous  in  their  atten- 
tions to  a  stranger,  makes  it  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  "  do  "  the  valley  without 
loss  of  time  or  temper. 


'  With  the  opening  of  the  first  Mexican  season,  the  well-known  excursion  managers,  Messrs.  Ray- 
mond and  Whitcomb  (who  have  successfully  conducted  so  many  large  parties  to  Cahfornia  and  the 
various  resorts  of  the  United  States),  will  turn  their  attention  towards  Mexico.  It  will  be  especially 
grateful  to  tourists  to  be  accompanied  by  guides  and  interpreters  through  a  country  which  is  essentially 
foreign,  and  to  have  every  want  provided  for  in  advance,  from  beginning  to  end  of  journey;  and  the 
writer  lakes  pleasure  in  calling  attention  to  the  forthcoming  Raymond  Excursions  to  Mexico. 


24 


A    GUIDE    TO  MEXICO. 


ROUTE   II. 

LOSTON,    NEW    YORK,    or    CHICAGO,   to    ST.  LOUIS,  as  in    Route  I., 
thence  to  City  of  Mexico,  via  the  Missouri  Pacific  System  and  connections. 


(A) 


TEXAS    PACIFIC   and   MEXICAN   CENTRAL. 


From 

To. 

Distance. 

Time. 

.St.  Louis 

El  Paso 

From  El  Paso,  south,  as  in 

El  Paso  (Texas  Pacific) 

City  of  Mexico  (Mexican  Central)    . 
Route  1    (A). 

1,358  miles. 
1,225  miles. 

2,583  miles. 

56  hours. 
60  hours. 

126  hours. 

(B)      MISSOURI    PACIFIC    SYSTEM   and   MEXICAN   NATIONAL. 


From. 

To. 

Distance. 

Time. 

.St.  Louis 

Laredo  (Missouri  Pacific)    .... 

1,150  miles. 
234  miles. 
362  miles 
254  miles. 

57  hours. 
13  hours. 
5  days. 
12  hours. 

Saltillo 

San  Miguel 

San  Miguel  (by  Diligence,  1884)  .     . 
City  pf  Mexico  (Mexican  National), 

2,000  miles. 

A    TRIP    THROUGH    TEXAS. 

While  being  rapidly  whirled  over  the  Texas  prairies  in  the  most    luxurious  of 
palace  or  dining  cars,  we  shall  be  likely  to  for 
get,  unless  frequently  reminded  of  it,  that  we 
are  crossing  the  largest  .State   in  the  Union. 

Although  our  ob- 
ject is  sight-seeing 
merely,  j'et  as  mate- 
rial resources  influ- 
ence progress,  and 
that,  in  turn,  pro- 
vides comforts  for 
the  traveller,  we 
should  not  omit  to 
mention,  that,  while 
territorially  vast, 
Te.xas  also  contains 
a  great  variety  of 
soil,  and  consequent 

vegetation;  its  crops  of  cotton,  cane,  and  cereiN, 
being  enormous,  while  its  prairies  annually  sustain  over  4,000,000  cattle.    Its  area  of 
274,350  square  miles  is  greater  by  over  30,000  square  miles  than  the  Empire  of  Aus- 


(^Missouri- Flic i/ic  /\y  ) 


ANTIQUITIES   OF  SAN   ANTONIO,   TEX. 


OVER    THE   BORDER.  2$ 

tria,  exceeds  the  German  Empire  by  63,000  square  miles  ;  while  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland  would  form  merely  an  oasis  .in  one  of  its  deserts.  A  native-born  Texan 
could  (and  cheerfully  would)  add  to  these  figures  a  mass  of  statistics  showing 
that  his  State  had  the  largest  school-fund  in  the  world,  more  miles  of  wire  fence, 
more  millions  of  acres  awaiting  a  population,  more  fertile  soil,  and  a  finer  climate, 
than  any  «ther  country  of  the  globe.  While  rather  dubious  about  its  soil,  taking 
the  territory  as  a  whole,  we  can  conscientiously  commend  its  climate.  From 
Austin  its  capital,  southward,  it  improves  in  rarity  and  diathermancy,  until  at 
San  Antonio  we  find  a  delightful   temperature,  faulty  only  from  local  causes. 

At  Austin  we  enter  a  rolling  region,  famous  for  its  woods,  vales,  and  delightful 
vegetation,  on  the  border  of  a  land  where  the  winter  climate  is  tempered  to  the 
requirements  of  invalids  who  cannot  endure  the  harsher  temperature  of  the  North. 
As  the  capital  of  the  State,  it  is  a  centre  of  social  refinement ;  and  its  architecture 
is  ambitious.  Good  hotels  here  render  a  stay  of  any  length  agreeable.  liut  at 
San  Antonio,  forty-eight  hours  from  St.  Louis,  the  tourist  in  search  of  winter 
sunbeams  is  likely  to  linger  longest ;  for,  at  the  height  of  six  hundred  feet  above 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  humid  coast  atmos])here  is  deprived  of  its  superfluous 
burden  of  moisture,  and  is  soft,  yet  exhilarating. 

Through  the  quaint  old  city  flows  a  beautiful  river,  crossed  in  many  places  by 
bridges,  bubbling  up  here  and  there  in  wonderful  springs,  now  laving  the  banks 
of  a  smooth  and  ever-verdant  lawn,  then  plunging  into  the  sombre  depths  of  a 
live-oak  wood.  Aside  from  the  tree-fringed  river  that  pursues  its  sinuous  course 
through  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  there  are  other  streams  equally  attractive;  and 
springs  burst  out  everywhere  through  the  limestone,  especially  in  its  park,  San 
Pedro,  where  they  are  most  numerous,  and  create  a  very  paradise  of  flower  and 
foliage  by  their  tepid  waters.  Overlooking  the  city,  on  a  hill,  are  the  fine  buildings 
of  the  United  States  military  department ;  this  place  having  long  been  occupied 
as  headquarters,  owing  to  its  salubrity,  and  central  and  commanding  location. 
Many  of  the  most  attractive  resorts  of  San  Antonio  can  be  reached  by  horse-cars 
from  the  central  plaza,  about  which  are  the  best  hotels.  Here,  likewise,  is  that  build- 
ing so  famous  in  the  sanguinary  struggle  for  Texan  independence,  —  the  Alamo. 
This  old  structure,  whose  walls  were  baptized  in  the  blood  of  heroes,  has  been 
purchased  by  the  State,  and  can  be  freely  examined  by  all  visitors.  Nearly  oppo- 
site is  the  Mexican  Cathedral,  worth  a  visit.  But  by  far  the  most  interesting 
relics  of  Mexican  architecture  are  the  celebrated  mission-buildings,  scattered  along 
the  river-bank,  from  a  mile  to  several  miles  distant.  San  Jose  and  San  Juan  are 
most  famous  structures,  not  alone  being  ancient,  but  possessing  architectural 
beauties  in  carven  pillars,  w-indows,  and  cornices  that  no  modern  buildings  can 
rival.  The  halo  of  antiquity  and  of  a  most  fascinating  history  lingers  about  them, 
and  by  no  means  should  one  of  them  be  omitted  from  the  tourist's  itinerary. 

So  it  is  that  San  Antonio  gives  us  a  hint  of  Mexico,  in  its  bland  climate,  in  the 
costumes  of  its  Mexican  population,  in  the  architecture  of  its  ancient  buildings. 

Connection  is  made  here,  as  well  as  at  Austin,  with  New  Orleans  and  Houston, 
and  with  Galveston,  —  that  thriving  city  on  the  sands,  with  its  grand  hotel,  fine 
drives,  and  delightful  sea-bathing. 

Nine  hours  south  of  San  Antonio,  after  a  good  night's  rest  in  a  luxurious 
"sleeper,"  we  reach  Laredo,  and  make  change  for  cars  of  the  Mexican  National, 
a  narrow-gauge  road  which  runs  as  far  (1SS4)  as  Saltillo, —  234  miles.     A  day  could 


26 


A    GUIDE    TO   MEXICO. 


be  well  spent  in  Laredo,  although  it  is  not  especially  attractive;  for  here  the  Rio 

Grande  is  first  seen,  and  on  the  opposite  bank  is  the  thoroughly  Mexican  town 

of  Nuevo  Laredo,  a 
typical  mud  village 
with  many  interesting 
peculiarities^  The  Gulf 
of  Mexico  may  be 
reached  (i6o  miles  dis- 
tant) over  the  northern 
division  of  the  Mexican 
National  to  Corpus 
Christi,  where  is  excel- 
lent sea-bathing,  and 
vast  ranches,  with 
abundant  game  —  an- 
telope, deer,  etc.  —  in 
sections  on  the  way. 

The  ride  to  Monterey 
is  unrelieved  by  nota- 
ble scenery,  and  does 
not  reveal  a  single  town 
of  importance.  Half- 
way on,  the  blue  and 
beautiful  mountains 
appear  in  sight ;  and  a 
singular  mesa,  or  table- 
topped  hill,  claims  at- 
tention, with  here  and 
there  scattered  groups 
of  upland  palms  and 
maguey-plants.  At  Vil- 
ladama  a  Mexican  meal 

is  served ;    and  the    monotony  of  the  trip  thence  is  unbroken   until   Monterey  is 

reached,  at  four  p.m. 

MONTEREY. 

Hacks  are  in  waiting  for  every  train  (fare,  twenty-five  cents  to  the  city,  a  mile 
distant),  and  good  horse-cars  (fare,  ten  cents). 

There  are  two  hotels  here,  the  Iturbide  and  Monterey,  both  in  Mexican  style, 
single-storied,  built  around  an  inner  cjuadrilateral  court.  After  the  arid  stretches 
below,  Monterey  is  a  glad  surprise :  surrounded  by  mountains,  and  at  an  elevation 
of  1, 600  feet,  its  climate  is  extremely  agreeable.  Near  it  are  several  thermal  and 
mineral  springs,  which  contribute  to  its  claims  as  a  health-resort.  The  buildings 
are  all  in  Mexican  style.  Its  public  structures  are  fine.  It  has  many  plazas,  the 
largest  and  most  beautiful  being  the  Plaza  of  Zaragoza,  the  fountain  in  which 
is  of  marble,  sculptured  in  dolphins'  and  lions'  heads. 

Objects  of  interest:  the  Plaza;  Cathedral;  the  Church  and  Convent  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans; a  large  unfinished  temple,  —  La  Basilica  Later iiense  ;  the  Casa  Municipal, 


CONVliNT   OF   SAN    FRANCISCO,    MONTEREY. 

(Loaned  by  Missouri-Pacific  Ry.) 


DOWA'   THE  MEXICAN  PLATEAU. 


27 


or  City  Hall ;  the  Stale  Palace ;  the  Library ;  the  Parian,  or  great  bazaar ;  and  in 
the  suburbs,  the  ruins  of  the  Black  Fort,  captured  by  the  Americans  in  1847 ; 
El  Obispado,  or  Bishop's  Palace,  on  a  hill  commanding  a  magnificent  view ;  the 
Cemetery;  El  Capillo,  or  chapel,  across  the  river;  the  two  picturesque  mountains. 


BEYOND   THE    BORDER. 

{By  Missouri- Pacijic  Ry.) 

Li  Silla  (the  Saddle),  5,000  feet  high,  and  La  Mitra  (the 
Mitre) ;  the  bull-ring;  the  cock-pit;  and  the  stretches  of  farms 
and  gardens  yet  cultivated  in  the  primitive  manner  of  early 
times.  To  a  stranger,  this  city,  founded  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  its  inhabit- 
ants, will  be  exceedingly  interesting,  as  both  represent  and  are  typical  of  the  Mexico 
of  six  hundred  miles  beyond. 

SALTILLO. 

A  place  yet  more  charming  is  Saltillo,  sixty-seven  miles  farther,  on  the  slopes 
of  the  table-land,  among  the  mountains,  yet  with  soft  airs,  blooming  gardens, 
orchards,  fields,  springs,  and  streams.  Its  great  Plaza,  with  its  flowers  and  trees, 
as  well   as  the  entire  city,  is  supplied  with  pure  spring-water,  conducted  from   the 


28  A    GUIDE    TO   MEXICO. 

hilltops.  The  great  Cathedral,  covering  an  entire  block,  and  with  sculptured  front, 
faces  the  Plaza :  other  churches,  of  all  denominations,  are  here  ;  and  the  theatre, 
bull-ring,  and  alameda  furnish  recreation  and  enjoyment.  A  fine  hotel,  the  San 
Estevan,  is  in  charge  of  Americans.  The  city  government  is  in  honest  and  friendly 
hands,  and  every  thing  promises  well  for  the  opening  of  Saltillo  as  an  attractive 
resort,  either  for  summer  or  winter. 

Below  Saltillo  is  La  Eiicaiitada,  the  Enchanted  Valley ;  and  seven  miles  out  is 
Buena  Vista,  near  which  place  Gen.  Taylor  defeated  Santa  Anna.  The  country 
beyond  has  no  cities  of  any  size,  except  Venado,  a  small  manufacturing  place,  and 
consists  of  vast  plains  bounded  by  mountains,  the  road  running  through  haciendas 
of  immense  extent,  with  an  infrequent  village,  and  halting-places  where  meals 
are  served  to  the  travellers  by  the  diligence.  * 

SAN    LUIS    POTOSI, 

a  city  isolate  in  the  great  plains,  soon  to  be  connected  by  rail  with  the  United 
States  and  with  the  gulf-port  of  Tampico,  contains  many  fine  public  buildings, 
notable  being  the  Palace  of  Justice  and  Governor's  Palace,  the  Cathedral,  churches 
of  el  Caimen,  San  Augustine,  San  Francisco,  and  la  Merced,  colleges  of  advanced 
grades,  the  usual  plazas,  and  narrow,  picturesque  streets,  with  hotels  as  yet  only 
in  the  Mexican  style. 

Southward,  in  the  track  of  the  railroad,  lie  vast  haciendas,  such  as  Jaral,  which 
once  controlled  20,000  peons,  and  whose  owner  furnished  a  full  regiment  of  cavalry 
to  aid  the  royalists  against  the  Mexican  insurgents. 

Dolores  Hidalgo,  a  small  place,  is  celebrated  in  Mexican  revolutionary  history ; 
for  here  the  patriot  Hidalgo  first  sounded  the  watchword  of  liberty  that  eventually 
spread  over  all  Mexico.  San  Miguel  is  a  larger  city,  with  about  20,000  inhabitants, 
with  neat  churches  and  fine  squares;  while  curious  Indian  villages  are  scattered 
all  along  the  route.  At  Celaya,  a  city  of  about  30,000  inhabitants,  the  National 
crosses  the  Central ;  and  the  journey  can  be  pursued  either  by  way  of  Acambaro 
and  Toluca,  200  miles,  or  by  the  Mexican  Central  (Route  I.),  180  miles,  via  Quere- 
taro  and  Tula,  to  the  city  of  Mexico. 


A'Eir  YORK  AND  NEW  ORLEANS   TO  MEXICO  CITY.   29 

ROUTE  III, 

TO    CITY   OF   MEXICO,  FROM   THE   EAST,  VIA   NEW   ORLEANS. 

Distance,  2,230  miles;  time,  7  days. 

Several  all-rail  routes  are  open  to  New  Orleans,  either  via  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
through  Washington,  and  Southern  connections  by  way  of  Danville  and  Atlanta, 
or  south  from  Cincinnati.     Connections  at  New  Orleans  for  Texas  and  Mexico. 

By  the  most  direct  route,  the  Piedmont  Air  Line,  it  is  1,374  miles  from  New 
York  to  New  Orleans,  and  54  hours  through-time. 

A  varied  and  delightful  trip,  embracing  a  sea-voyage  also,  may  be  made  by  steam 
from  Boston  (Boston  and  Savannah  Steamship  Company),  sailing  every  Thursdav, 
and  connecting  with  trains  (two  daily)  the  following  Monday  for  New  Orleans  (26 
hours,  and  576  miles).  Connections  are  made  here  with  the  all-rail  line  to  the 
Pacific  and  Mexico,  and  with  steamers  to  Galveston  and  Vera  Cruz.  By  this  line 
of  travel,  Florida  may  be  visited  eit  route. 

THE    NEW    ORLEANS    AND    MEXICAN    STEAMSHIP    LINE. 

Distance,  876  miles:    time  (direct),  4  1-2  days. 

From  New  Orleans  to  Vera  Cruz  there  are  two  lines,  the  Morgan  and  the 
Alexandre,  making  the  round  trip  every  twenty-one  days.  The  steamer  touches, 
going  and  coming,  at  the  Mexican  ports  of  Bagdad,  Tampico,  and  Tuxpan,  and 
arrives  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  New  Orleans. 

Bagdad,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  the  seaport  of  the  city 
of  Matamoras,  and  is  the  first  stopping-place  on  the  outward  trip ;  and  the  run 
from  Bagdad  to  the  mouth  of  the  Panuco  River,  upon  whose  left  bank  the  city  and 
seaport  of  Tampico  is  situated,  is  about  thirty  hours. 

As  there  are  seldom  more  than  eight  feet  of  water  on  the  bar  of  the  river,  and  the 
water  shoab  considerably  near  the  coast,  the  steamer  is  compelled  to  anchor  about 
two  miles  off  shore,  and  discharge  her  cargo  into  lighters.  During  the  winter 
months,  frequent  "northers"  blow  with  great  violence  along  the  entire  Mexican 
gulf-coast;  and,  as  there  is  not  a  single  well-protected  harbor  along  the  entire 
gulf,  sailing-vessels,  and  very  often  steamers  also,  are  compelled  to  up  anchor,  and 
run  to  sea. 

The  Central  Railroad  Company  is  engaged  in  constructing  a  railroad  from 
Tampico  to  San  Luis  Potosi,  the  capital  of  the  rich  mining  State  of  the  same  name; 
and,  when  this  is  completed,  all  the  varied  products  of  the  tropical  and  semi- 
tropical  couiitries  through  which  it  passes  will  be  brought  to  Tampico  for  ship- 
ment to  foreign  markets.  From  Tampico  to  Tuxpan  is  125  miles.  Here,  also,  the 
seaport  is  situated  on  the  bank  of  a  river  some  distance  from  the  coast ;  and,  as  at 
Tampico  the  bar  of  the  river  carries  but  little  water,  the  ship  lies  off  the  mouth 
of  the  river  about  two  miles  from  the  bar.  The  products  of  the  country  in  the 
vicinity  of  Tuxpan  are  sugar,  molasses,  honey,  rice,  vanilla,  cedar  and  other 
woods,  rubber,  and  many  kinds  of  tropic  fruits. 

The  colonists  (including  an  American  colony  of  about  six  hundred  persons)  are 
engaged  principally  in  planting  and  in  cutting  cedar  and  dye-woods.  Most  of 
these  products  go  to  Northern  ports,  particularly  the  tiye-woods  and  cedar ;  which 
latter,  however,  finds  its  best  market  in  Europe. 


30 


A    GUIDE    TO  MEXICO. 


From  Tuxpan  to  Vera  Cruz  the  distance  by  sea  is  120  miles.  The  steamers 
leave  the  Tuxpan  roadstead  late  in  the  evening,  and  arrive  at  the  port  of  Vera 
Cruz  about  seven  the  next  morning.  Here,  also,  the  ship  receives  and  discharges 
her  cargo  by  means  of  lighters,  although  she  lies  but  about  a  half-mile  from  the 
mole,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  celebrated  fortress  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua.  At 
this  city,  the  terminus  of  the  line,  the  steamer  connects  with  the  New-York  line, 
owned  by  the  same  company,  and  which  touches  at  the  ports  of  Frontera,  Cam- 
peche,  Progreso,  and  Havana. 

The  Morgan  Line  makes  the  round  trip  between  Morgan  City  and  Vera  Cruz 
twice  a  month,  leaving  Morgan  City  on  the  ist,  arriving  at  Vera  Cruz  on  the  5th  ; 
returning,  leaves  Vera  Cruz  on  the  8th,  and  reaches  Morgan  City  on  the  evening 
of  the  1 2th,  which  port  it  leaves  again  for  Vera  Cruz  on  the  i6th,  etc.,  touching 
at  Galveston  both  ways. 


A  GATEWAY,   VERA   CRUZ. 


Palmer-Sullivan  Concession. 
MEXICAN     NATIONAL     RAILWAY. 


POOLE  BROS.,  MAP  ENQRAVErS,  CHlOAGO 

8 i 


EAST  COAST  OF  MEXICO. 


31 


ROUTE    IV. 

BY  SEA  VIA  CUBA  AND  YUCATAN,  MEXICAN  RAILWAY  TO  CITY 

OF   MEXICO. 


Distance. 

Time. 

1,187  miles. 

At  Havana, 
426  miles. 

At  Progreso, 
388  miles. 

4    days. 
1    day. 
I.J  days. 
I    day. 
I  i  days. 

Havana  to  Progreso  (Yucatan) 

2,001  miles. 

9    days. 
14  hours. 

In  speaking  of  Mexico,  we  naturally  presuppose  that  the  capital  is  meant;  and 
it  is  with  the  City  of  Mexico  as  an  objective  point  that  these  descriptions  of 
routes  are  written.  Ten  days'  voyaging,  and  two  thousand  miles,  intervene  between 
New  York  and  Vera  Cruz,  principal  seaport  of  Mexico. 


THE  ALEXANDRE  STEAMERS. 

A  fleet  of  large  iron  steamers  connects  New  York  with  the  only  port  of  any  size 
on  the  Mexican  coast.  These  steamers  call  at  Havana,  four  days  out,  and  reach 
the  first  Mexican  port,  at  Progreso,  on  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan,  two  days  later. 
Two  of  these  boats,  the  "City  of  Alexandria"  and  "City  of  Washington,"  are  the 
finest  of  any  engaged  in  coastw-se  commerce.  They  are  over  300  feet  in  length, 
38  feet  wide,  and  33  feet  deep,  are  built  of  iron,  and  furnished  throughout  with 
every  convenience  and  comfort  that  can  be  found  upon  the  great  ocean-steamers 
between  this  country  and  Europe.  Each  has  superb  accommodations  for  150  first- 
class  passengers,  and,  in  place  of  the  common  tables  usually  found  in  our  coast 
steamers,  has  small  tables,  at  which  four  persons  can  dine  or  lunch  a  la  carte, 
at  any  hour.  The  saloons  are  immense,  and  finished  beautifully  in  fine  woods, 
showing  every  color,  from  black  walnut  to  amaranth.  A  seventh  steamer  was 
launched  in  18S2,  the  "  City  of  Puebla,"  that  was  intended  to  surpass,  if  possible, 
all  the  others  of  the  fleet. 

After  leaving  Progreso,  these  steamers  touch  successively  at  Campeche  and 
Frontera,  arriving  at  Vera  Cruz  in  from  ten  to  twelve  days,  whence,  after  remaining 
four  days,  they  return  to  New  York.  Coming  down  from  New  Orleans  are  two 
steamers  of  the  same  line,  which  touch  at  Bagdad,  Tampico,  and  Tuxpan,  reaching 
Vera  Cruz  inside  of  five  days.  The  journey  there  might  be  shortened,  if  long 
delays  were  not  made  in  every  port.  Eight  days  by  the  sea-route,  and  six  via 
New  Orleans,  ought  to  cover  it ;  but  generally  the  passenger  welcomes  these  stays 
in  port  as  opportunities  for  side  trips  into  the  country.  The  rates  of  passage  are 
as  follows:  From  New  York  to  Vera  Cruz,  first-class,  $85;  excursion,  good  for 
six  months,  $150;  New  Orleans  to  Vera  Cruz,  $50;  excursion,  SSo. 

It  is   at  Progreso,   on    the    coast    of    Yucatan,   that    the  steamer  first   enters 


32 


A    GUIDE   TO  MEXICO. 


Mexican  dominion,  and  the  low-lying  coast  presents  itself  to  view.  This  port 
is  connected  with  the  interior  by  a  railroad  to  Merida,  the  capital  of  the  Stale 
of  Yucatan,  whence  other  roads  lead  into  a  region  growing  more  attractive 
year  by  year. 

The  fare  from  Progreso  to  Merida  is  one  dollar;  distance,  twenty-six  miles.  The 
entire  peninsula  —  its  picturesque  features,  at  least  —  has  been  so  minutely 
described  in  the  author's  "Travels  in  Mexico,"  Chaps.  I.-X.,  that  nothing  remains 
but  to  refer  the  reader  to  that  work.  Merida  will  be  found  quaint  and  attractive, 
and  numerous  excursions  can  be  taken  from  this  point  to  visit  the  wonderful  ruins 
and  hunting  localities.  Address  Dr.  George  F.  Gaumer,  Merida,  Yucatan,  —  a 
gentleman  who  has  hunted  throughout  the  length  of  the  peninsula,  —  for  particulars. 


THE    MOAT,    VERA    CRL'Z. 

Aside  from  points  reached  by  the  interior  railways,  the  following  ancient  and 
interesting  places  can  be  visited  by  volan  cochi,  or  private  conveyance :  Uxmal,  65 
miles;  fare,  $20;  Ake,  30  miles;  fare,  $15;  Mayapan,  30  miles;  fare,  $15;  Izamal, 
45  miles  (mail-wagon) ;  fare,  $7  ;  Chichen  Itza,  120  miles  ;  fare,  $50. 

Hotels  are  scarce,  but  the  people  of  Yucatan  are  ho.spitable. 

Passing  on  the  way  Campeche  and  Frontera,  ports  of  call,  off  which  the  steamers 
generally  lie  long  enough  to  give  opportunity  for  visiting  the  shore,  they  anchor  at 
Vera  Cruz,  under  the  walls  of  the  great  island-fortress,  San  Juan  de  Ulua.  Boats 
convey  passengers  to  land  (fare,  fifty  cents),  where  luggage  is  examined  with  little 
delay.  Good  hotels  are  numerous,  at  about  three  dollars  per  day;  also  restaurants. 
Objects  of  interest:  Custom-House,  main  Plaza,  old  Convent,  and  the  great  Fort. 
A  ride  in  the  street-cars  into  the  suburbs  will  display  nearly  all  of  the  attractions  of 
Yera  Cruz,  and  a  day  or  so  exhaust  them  all. 


FROM    VERA    CRUZ  INTO    THE  INTERIOR.  33 

Other  steam-lines  centring  here  from  foreign  countries  are :  the  German  Line  to 
Havre  and  Hamburg,  monthly;  the  Royal  Mail,  monthly,  to  Plymouth  and  South- 
ampton ;  Spanish  Line,  monthly,  to  Spain ;  French  Line,  monthly,  to  St.  Nazaire, 
etc. ;  a  Mexican  Line  to  home  ports  on  the  Gulf. 

From  Vera  Cruz  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  distant  263  miles,  and  14  hours,  runs  the 
great  line  known  as  the  Mexican  Railway.' 

A  branch  line  also  runs  to  Jalapa,  seventy  miles,  a  most  delightful  town  in  the 
mountains,  passing  over  the  ancient  royal  road,  and  through  the  pass  of  Cerro 
Gordo.     This  trip  should  not  be  omitted. 

The  entire  journey,  from  the  coast  to  the  valley  of  Mexico,  is  through  grand  and 
picturesque  scenery,  giving  every  variety  of  vegetation  as  the  mountains  are  as- 
cended, crossing  numerous  bridges,  spanning  ravines  and  barrancas,  and  with  snow- 
covered  Orizaba  ever  in  sight,  even  over  the  fields  of  sugarcane  and  coffee,  and 
banana-gardens. 

Cordova,  sixty-five  miles  from  Vera  Cruz,  presents  a  charming  blending  of  tropi- 
cal and  temperate  scenery  and  climate,  and  is  in  the  centre  of  the  coffee  region.  Its 
hotels  are  poor. 

Orizaba,  eighty-two  miles,  has  better  hotels  and  many  attractions,  including  fine 
streams,  mountain-views,  and  an  interesting  architecture  and  people. 

Maltrata  is  in  a  beautiful  mountain  valley,  above  which  the  track  climbs  to  the 
crest  of  the  table-land  at  Boca  del  Monte. 

At  Esperanza,  1 1  r  miles,  a  narrow-gauge  railway  connects  for  Tehuacan,  a  town 
worth  visiting,  whence  a  diligence  runs  a  day's  journey  southward,  towards  Oaxaca, 
the  birthplace  of  Diaz  and  Juarez,  a  city  of  27,000,  extremely  interesting,  and  with 
fascinating  ruins  lying  about  it.  To  reach  it  requires  three  days'  travel  on  horse- 
back, besides  one  day  in  the  diligence.  Horses  must  be  ordered  in  advance.  No 
hotels  on  the  route,  but  fair  ones  in  Oaxaca. 

At  Apizaco,  176  miles,  a  branch  leads  off  to  the  beautiful  city  of  Puebla,  with 
70,000,  with  a  host  of  attractions, —a  grand  cathedral  with  maguificeiU  interior,  libra- 
ries, baths,  bull-ring,  fair  hotels,  and  fine  buildings.  Six  niiles  distant  by  tramway 
is  the  famous  Pyramid  of  Cholula,  with  its  ancient  town,  containing  many  buildings 
of  early  date.  All  about  is  spread  a  mountainous  country,  enveloping  fertile  plains. 
Three  great  mountains,  including  Popocatepetl,  are  near  to  Puebla  and  Cholula. 

At  Irolo,  215  mUes,  another  line  runs  northward  to  Pachuca,  a  mining  centre 
worked  from  the  years  of  the  Conquest,  where  are  the  famous  Real  del  Monte 
mines,  and  others  of  note.  There  are  good  hotels  here.  It  is  a  delightful  day's  jour- 
ney from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico  City,  —  one  so  filled  with  varied  scenes,  that  its  like 
may  not  be  found  elsewhere  in  America.  Trains  enter  the  suburb  of  Buena  Vista, 
whence  conveyances  (as  described  on  p.  18  )  take  passengers  to  the  city. 

'  Vera  Cruz  and  the  ascent  to  Mexico  fully  described  in  Travels  in  Mexico,  Chap.  XXII. 


34  A    GUIDE    TO   MEXICO. 


ROUTE    V. 

SAN    FRANCISCO,   CAL.,    TO    CITY    OF    MEXICO,    via     SOUTHERN 
PACIFIC  RAILROAD  TO  EL  PASO,  AND  MEXICAN  CENTRAL. 

Time,         San  Francisco  to  El  Paso,      58  hours;  El  Paso  to  Mexico  City,       60  hours  =     118  hours. 
Distance,  San  Francisco  to  El  Paso,  1,286  miles;   El  Paso  to  Mexico  City,  1,225  miles  -  2,511  miles. 

At  Benson,  on  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  connection  is  made  with  Guaymas,  Gulf  of  California. 

Local  fares  by  this  route  are  ten  cents  per  mile. 

ROUTE    VL 

SAN   FRANCISCO  TO   MEXICO    (WEST  COAST),  via  PACIFIC    MAIL 

STEAMERS. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  Port  of  Mazatlan 1,165  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  Manzanillo 1,456  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  Acapulco 1,607  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  Salina  Cruz  (Tehuantepec) 1,895  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  San  Jos^  (Guatemala) 2,196  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  Panama  (Isthmus) 3,198  miles. 

Distance,  San  Francisco  to  New  York  (touching  at  Mexican  potts) 5, 220  miles. 

Time  between  San  Francisco  and  New  York,  about  twenty-nine  days,  —  twenty  days  on  the  Pacific,  and 
nine  on  the  Atlantic. 

Fares,  the  same  as  by  rail  across  the  continent. 

Acapulco  is  the  finest  port  of  Mexico  on  the  Pacific,  in  the  State  of  Guerrero, 
about  190  miles  south-west  of  Mexico  City,  in  latitude  north,  16°  55';  longitude, 
99°  48'  west.     Population,  3,000. 

"  It  was  not  discovered,"  says  R.  A.  Wilson,  "when  Cortes  built,  in  Colima,  the 
vessels  that  went  to  search  for  a  north-west  passage ;  but,  when  they  had  returned 
from  their  fruitless  search,  they  anchored  in  the  mountain-girt  harbor  of  Acapulco. 
The  discoveries  of  the  celebrated  navigator  Magellan  fixed  the  commercial  char- 
acter and  importance  of  this  seaport.  He  had  sailed  through  the  straits  that 
bear  his  name,  and  coasted  northwardly  as  far  as  the  Trades,  and  from  thence 
he  bore  away  to  the  Spice  Islands,  discovering  on  the  voyage  the  Philippine 
Islands,  where  the  city  of  Manila  was  founded.  By  this  voyage  he  demonstrated 
that  the  advantages  of  a  route  across  the  Pacific  were  so  superior  to  a  voyage 
around  Cape  Horn,  as  to  justify  the  expense  of  a  land  transit  from  Acapulco  to 
Vera  Criu,  and  reshipment  to  Spain. 

"The  practical  advantage  of  this  discovery  was  the  establishment  of  the  annual 
Manila  galleon,  in  which  was  sent  out  $1,000,000  to  purchase  Oriental  products 
for  the  consumption  of  Spain  and  all  her  American  Colonies.  In  this  galleon 
sailed  the  friars  that  went  forth  to  the  spiritual  conquest  of  India.  In  it  sailed 
Spanish  soldiers,  who  followed  hard  after  the  priests,  to  add  the  temporal  to  the 
spiritual  subjugation  of  Oriental  empires.  To  this  harbor  the  galleon  returned, 
freighted  with  the  rich  merchandise  of  China,  Japan,  and  the  Spice  Islands. 
When  the  arrival  of  the  galleon  was  announced,  traders  hastened  from  every 
quarter  of  New  Spain  to  attend  the  annual  fair.  Little  vessels  from  down  the 
coast  came  to  get  their  share  of  the  mammoth  cargo.  The  king's  officers  came 
to  look  after  the  royal  revenue ;  and  caravans  of  mules  were  summoned  to  transport 
the  Spanish  portion  of  the  freight  to  Vera  Cruz. 


ACAPULCO,   PACIFIC   COAST. 


:>5 


"  Such  was  the  commercial  condition  of  the  town  down  to  the  time  of  the  inde- 
pendence. From  this  time  it  was  lost  to  commerce,  until  it  was  made  a  halfway 
house  on  the  voyage  to  California.  The  town  lies  upon  a  narrow  intervale  between 
the  hills  and  the  harbor.  It  is  built  of  the  frailest  materials,  and  is  destroyed 
about  once  in  ten  years  by  an  earthquake. 

"  The  castle  of  San  Diego  stands  upon  a  high  bank ;  and  the  harbor  appears 
like  a  nest  scooped  out  of  the  mountains,  into  and  out  of  which  the  tide  ebbs 
and  flows  through  a  double  channel  riven  by  an  earthquake  in  the  solid  rock. 
There  is  still  another  opening  in  the  sharp  mountain-ridge  that  encloses  it  from 
the  sea;  but  this  opening,  dug  by  the  labor  of  man,  at  a  point  opposite  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor,  was  to  let  the  cool  sea-breeze  in  upon  one  of  the  hottest  and  most 
unhealthy  places  upon  the  continent.  Such,  in  substance,  is  and  was  the  little 
city  of  Acapulco,  the  seat  and  focus  of  the  Oriental  commerce  of  New  Spain." 

This  admirable  description  will  apply  to  Acapulco  of  to-day,  except  that  it 
would  be  well  to  add  that  the  city  awaits  only  the  coming  of  the  railroad  from  the 
city  of  Mexico,  to  awaken  a  revival  of  its  lost  commerce.  The  uniting  of  this 
port  by  rail  with  the  gulf-port  of  Vera  Cruz  was  the  first  object  of  railway 
projectors  in  Mexico;  and  this  will  at  last  be  accomplished  by  the  completion 
of  the  Morelos    Railroad,  through  Amecameca,  Cuernavaca,  and  Chilpancingo. 

By  road,  the  journey  between  this  port  and  the  capital  consumes  twelve  days, 
over  one  of  the  worst  trails  in  the  country,  worn  by  the  feet  of  mules  for  the  past 
three  centuries. 


ANCIENT   AQUEDrCT,    VERA   CRt'Z. 


LIST  OF  ADVERTISEiMENTS. 


Raymond's  Vacation  Excursions front  cover,  inside 

Pope  Bicycle  Company      . facing  front  cover,  niside 

National  Tube  Works  (English) fly  leaf,  page  i 

National  Tube  Works  (Spanish) fly  leaf,  page  ii 

Meislerschaft  System page  facing  title 

Estes  &  Lauriat,  Publishers page  facing  title 

Travelers'  Insurance  Company page  iv,  facing  "  Mexican  Resources  " 

Brown,  Wood,  &  Kingman page  v  (colored) 

Nashua  Hand  Drill page  v        " 

Parker  &  Wood  (Agricultural  Implements)  .  page  vi         " 

Parker  &  Wood  (Agricultural  Implements)       .     .  page  vii         " 

Geo.  Woods  Company  Parlor  Organs       .  ....  page  viii        " 

Hamilton  Manufacturing  Company  (Cottons) page  ix        " 

Fall  River  Line  Steamers  .     .  page  x        " 

Fuller  &  Holtzer( Electrical  Supplies) page  x         " 

Blair  lourograph  Company  .  page  xi 

Boston  &  Savannah  Steamship  Company     .     .  page  xi 

Geo.  C.  Richardson,  Smith,  &  Company  (Selling  Agents).     .     .  page  xii        " 

E.  W.  Vaill  (Folding  Chairs) page  xit        " 

G.  H.  Bushnell  &  Company  (Knuckle-joint  Presses) page  xiii        " 

Webster's  Dictionary  :  Abogado  Cristiano  ....  ...  page  xiv 

Bell's  Insect  Exterminator:   DeWitt  C.  Newell     ....  .  page  xiv        " 

Witherby.  Rugg,  &  Richardson  (Planing  Machinery)        .  page  xv        " 

G    H.  Bushnell  &  Company  (Spanish)    ...  .     .  page  xvi        " 

Washburn,  Moen,  &  Company  (Iron  and  Steel  Wire)        page  xvii        " 

Howard,  BuUough,  &  Riicy  (Cotion  Machinery) page  xviii         " 

Howard,  Bullough.  &  Riley  (Spanish) page  xix         '* 

Fairbanks's  Standard  Scales       page  xx         " 

Alexandre  Steamship  Company facing  page  19  of  Guide 

Lewis  Engraving  Company facing  back  cover 

Fitchburg  Railroad facing  back  cover 

Leve  5:  Alden  (Tours  and  Excursions)         back  cover,  inside 

Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  .  .     .  back  cover,  outside 


INDEX  OF  MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Fitchburg  Railroad 5^ 

Horse  Shoe  Curve 5Q 

Pennsylvania  Railroad ,60 

Dining  Car Guide,  2 

Chicago,  Burlington,  and  Quincy  R.iilroad        facing  page  2 

Drawing-room  Car .     .  3 

Sleeping  Car 4 

On  Santa  Fi  Trail     ....  5 

Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs 6 

Mexican  Hut 7 

The  Rio  Grande 10 

Fountain  at  Chihuahua .     .  iz 

Interior  of  Adobe  Hut '4 

Plan  of  City  of  Mexico facing  page  18 

Market  View    .... 23 

River  View,  San  Antonio,  Tex ...     24 

Mexican  Missions,  San  Antonio facing  page  24 

Map  of  Missouri  Pacific  Railway facing  page  25 

A  Convent   . 26 

Monterey,  Mexico 27 

Gateway,  Vera  Cruz - 30 

Map  of  Mexican  National  Railway facing  page  30 

Map  of  Piedmont  Air  Line facing  page  31 

The  Moat,  Vera  Cruz 32 

Ancient  Aqueduct ,35 

Atchison,  Topeka,  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad back  cover,  outside 

36 


CONTENTS. 


MEXICAN    RESOURCES. 


PACE 

Area  and  Boundaries i 

Physical  Features  of  Coast  and  Plateaux          .  2 
Climate    and    Seasons  ;     Mountains,    Rivers, 

Lakes,  etc 3 

Zones  of  Vegetation 4 

Flora  of  Mexico ....          5 

Timber  and  Construction  Woods 5 

Cabinet  and  Dye  Woods 7 

Cereals,  Textile  Plants,  etc 8 

Wild  and  Cultivated  Fruits g 

Medicinal  Plants 10 

Flowers  and  Ornamental  Plants 11 

Aztec  -Agriculture     ........         12,  13 

Real  Estate  in  Mexico  ;  Seedtime  and  Har 

vest 14 

Agriculture  on  the  Table-land         15 

Agriculture  in  the  Hot  Coast  Region  ...  16 

Horse  and  Cattle  Raising 17,  18 

Sheep,  Goats,  and  Swine       19 

Irrigation  and  Improved  Agriculture  .     ...  20 
7"ables  showing  Annual  Agricultural  Produc- 
tions  ...          21 

Special   Products :    Arrowroot,   Banana,   and 

Plantain 22 

Cacao,  Cactaceae,  Cassava,  Chirimoya     ...  23 


PAGE 

Coca  and  Coco-palm 24 

Coffee  :  Culture,  Range,  and  Production    .    25,  26 
Cotton  :    Ancient    and   Modern   Cultivalion  ; 

.Amount  produced, 27 

Henequen,  or  Sisal  Hemp 28 

Indigo,  Cochineal,  Maize,  and  Wheat     ...  29 

Rice,  Sarsaparilla,  and  Vanilla 30 

Sugar-cane :  Cultivation  and  Production     .     .  31 

Tobacco 32 

Mineral  Regions  of  Mexico 33 

History  of  Mexican  Mines 34 

Ancient  Mines  of  the  Aztecs 35 

The  Great  and  Famous  Mines 36 

Total  Product  of  Mexican  Mines   .     .     .  37,  38,  39 

Gold,  when  and  where  found 40 

Silver,  Prmcipal  Veins 41 

Quicksilver 42 

Iron,  Copper,  Lead,  Sulphur,  etc 43 

Precious  Stones,  Opals,  etc 44 

Obsidian,  Salt,  Coals,  and  Miner.il  Oils  ...  45 
Mexican  Process  of  reducing  Ore  ....    46-54 
Annual  Amount   produced;    Mining  Nomen- 
clature       55 

Coinage  of  the  Mexican  Mints ;6 

Mexican  Coins  ;   Weights  and  Measures     .     .  57 


A    GUIDE    TO    MEXICO. 


PAGE 

Distance  and  Time-tables  from  all  Great  Cities 

of  the  United  States ,       i 

To  Mexico,  via  St.  Louis 2 

Westward,  across  the  Great  Plains      ....       3 

Across  Kansas     ...  4 

In  New  Mexico 5 

At  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs    .     .  ...       6.  7 

Santa  Fe  :   Railroads  of  New  Mexico     ...       8 
Indians  ;  the  Pueblos  ....  ....      9 

El  Paso  and  the  Rio  Grande       .....     10 

Chihuahua,  Durango,  and  Zacatecas       ...     it 

Mines  of  Zacatecas 12 

Lagos,  Leon,  and  Guanajuato 13,  14 

The  Baxio,  Salamanca,  Celaya .     .....     it; 

Quereiaro 16 

The  Valley  of  Mexico .17 

Ciiy  o(  Mexico  ;   Hacks  and  Street-railroads         18 
Foreign  Consuls  ;  Hotels  and  Restaurants  19 


PAGE 

Theatres,  Banks,  Plazas  and  Paseos     ...  20 
Churches,  Museums,  Libraries:  Suburban  Vil- 
lages   .       .              21 

Chapultepec,  Guadalupe,  Tezcoco,  etc.  ...  22 

Historic  i'owns  of  the  Valley 23 

Distance  and  Time-tables  across  Texas  ...  24 

.Austin  and  San  .Antonio 25 

Monterey,  Northern  Mexico 26 

Saliillo  ;    Biiena  Vista  Battle-ground.     ...  27 

San  Luis  Polosi  ;  down  the  Mexican  Plateau  .  28 

To  Mexico  City  via  New  Orleans 29 

Vera  Cruz  and  the  Gulf  Coast 30 

To  Mexico  via  Cuba  and  Yucatan  ;  the  .Alex- 
andre Steamers 31 

Yucatan  and  Vera  Cruz 32 

Cordova,  Orizaba.  Piiebla,  Pachuca    ....  33 

San  Francisco  to  Mexico 34 

Acapulco  and  West  Coast  of  Mexico  ....  35 

27 


THE   LEWIS   ENGRAVING   COMPANY 

MAKE 

E^G^^^I^QB  for  IhbaS^I^^T^??^  4<^^"^  ^l^9B, 

SUCH   AS 

Machinery,  Buildings,  Portraits,  Landscapes,  Maps,  Plans,  etc. 

Our  superior  facilities  enable  us  to  furnish  strictly  first-class  work  at  low  rates. 

FITCHBURG   RAILROAD, 

HOOSAC   TUNNEL   ROUTE. 

GREAT   ALL-RAIL    LINE 


BETWEEN 


BOSTON 

AND 

CITY  OF  MEXICO. 

Three  Express -Trains  leave  the  depot,  Causeway  Street,  Boston,  daily  (Sundays  excepted) ,  with 
rullman  Palace,  Buffet,  Drawing-Room,  and  Sleeping  Cars  attached,  running  without  change  through 
the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque  country  on  the  American  Continent,  to 

.  OH:iOA.a-o, 

where   connections   are   made  with  all   railroads  diverging  to  Kansas  City;    thence  on  to  the  city  of 
Mexico. 

For  Tickets,  Maps,  Time-Tables,  Berths  in  Sleeping-Cars,  etc.,  apply  at  the  Company's  Office, 

250  WASHINGTON  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 

JOHN  ADAMS.  J.  WHITMORE.  J.  R.  WATSON. 

General  Superintendent.  Traffic  Manager.  General  Passenger  Agent. 


504 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


ftB 


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DEC  4-1951 


EECD  LD-OR^^ 

JUN2    1970 


AUG  2  8  199B 

Form  L9-17m-8,'55(B3339s4)444 


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